{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-30-30-3-106.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 30, § 30-3-106.1","heading":"Court-appointed advocates for vulnerable adults","body":"programs.\n\nA. As used in this section:\n\n1. “Court-appointed advocates for vulnerable adults” or “CAAVA”\n\nmeans a responsible adult who has been trained and is supervised by\n\na court-appointed advocates for vulnerable adults program recognized\n\nby the court, and who has volunteered to be available for\n\nappointment under this section to serve as an officer of the court,\n\nas a guardian ad litem to represent the best interests of any\n\nvulnerable adult over whom the district court exercises\n\njurisdiction, until discharged by the court;\n\n2. “Court-appointed advocates for vulnerable adults program”\n\nmeans an organized program, administered by either an independent,\n\nnot-for-profit corporation, a dependent project of an independent,\n\nnot-for-profit corporation, or a unit of local government, which\n\nrecruits, screens, trains, assigns, supervises and supports\n\nvolunteers to be available for appointment by the court as guardians\n\nad litem, to represent the best interests of a vulnerable adult;\n\n3. “Vulnerable adult” means a person, eighteen (18) years of\n\nage or older, who is a victim of abuse, neglect or exploitation, or\n\nwho is disabled; and\n\n4. “Best interests” means a determination with regard to a\n\nvulnerable adult that is made from the perspective of the vulnerable\n\nadult, considering, but without giving primary importance to, the\n\nconvenience of the vulnerable adult’s relatives, caregivers or\n\nhealth care providers, and without regard for the perceived quality\n\nof life of the vulnerable adult or the vulnerable adult’s perceived\n\nnearness to death.\n\nB. The following entities shall collectively develop policy\n\nguidelines for court-appointed advocates for vulnerable adults\n\nprograms:\n\n1. Oklahoma Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities;\n\n2. Court-appointed special advocates (CASA);\n\n3. Aging Services Division of the Department of Human Services;\n\n4. Adult Protective Services Program Office;\n\n5. Office of Public Guardian;\n\n6. Advocacy Partnership for Aging Oklahomans;\n\n7. The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman; and\n\n8. The Developmental Disabilities Division of the Department of\n\nHuman Services.\n\nC. 1. Whenever a petition is filed alleging that a potential\n\nward, hereinafter referred to as a vulnerable adult, is abused,\n\nneglected, exploited or disabled, or for any other action related to\n\nthe vulnerable adult, the court may appoint a guardian ad litem for\n\nthe vulnerable adult at any time subsequent to the filing of the\n\npetition.\n\n2. The court may appoint a guardian ad litem upon the request\n\nof the vulnerable adult, the attorney of the vulnerable adult, the\n\nOffice of Public Guardian, the Adult Protective Services Program\n\nOffice, Aging Services Division and the Developmental Disabilities\n\nServices Division within the Department of Human Services, the\n\nOffice of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the state legal\n\nservices developer, or any other party to the action.\n\n3. A guardian ad litem shall not be a district attorney, an\n\nemployee of the office of the district attorney, the vulnerable\n\nadult’s attorney, an employee of the court, or an employee of any\n\npublic agency having duties or responsibilities related to the\n\nvulnerable adult.\n\n4. The guardian ad litem shall be appointed to advocate\n\nobjectively on behalf of the vulnerable adult and act as an officer\n\nof the court to investigate all matters concerning the best\n\ninterests of the vulnerable adult. In addition to other duties\n\nrequired by the court and as specified by the court, a guardian ad\n\nlitem shall have the following responsibilities:\n\na. review documents, reports, records and other\n\ninformation relevant to the case, meet with and\n\nobserve the vulnerable adult in appropriate settings,\n\nand interview relatives, health care providers, adult\n\nprotective services workers and any other persons with\n\nknowledge relevant to the case,\nhe court and as specified by the court, a guardian ad\n\nlitem shall have the following responsibilities:\n\na. review documents, reports, records and other\n\ninformation relevant to the case, meet with and\n\nobserve the vulnerable adult in appropriate settings,\n\nand interview relatives, health care providers, adult\n\nprotective services workers and any other persons with\n\nknowledge relevant to the case,\n\nb. advocate for the vulnerable adult’s best interests by\n\nparticipating in the case, attending any hearings in\n\nthe matter and advocating for appropriate services for\n\nthe vulnerable adult when necessary,\n\nc. maintain the confidentiality of information related to\n\nthe case,\n\nd. monitor the vulnerable adult's best interests\n\nthroughout any judicial proceeding, and\n\ne. present written reports on the vulnerable adult’s best\n\ninterests that include conclusions and\n\nrecommendations, and the facts upon which they are\n\nbased.\n\n5. The guardian ad litem shall be given access to the court\n\nfiles and agency files and access to all documents, reports, records\n\nand other information relevant to the case and to any records and\n\nreports of examination of the vulnerable adult’s relatives, guardian\n\nor custodian, made pursuant to the laws relating to adult abuse and\n\nneglect, including reports generated by service providers.\n\nD. 1. Whenever a court-appointed advocates for vulnerable\n\nadults program is available to the court to serve as a guardian ad\n\nlitem, priority shall be given to appointment of the court-appointed\n\nadvocate for vulnerable adults to serve as guardian ad litem for the\n\nvulnerable adult regardless of whether a guardian ad litem has been\n\nrequested pursuant to the provisions of this subsection.\n\n2. A court-appointed advocates for vulnerable adults (CAAVA)\n\nprogram may be made available to each judicial district.\n\n3. For purposes of this section, the terms \"court-appointed\n\nadvocate for vulnerable adults\" and “guardian ad litem” shall have\n\nthe same function. In like manner, a court-appointed advocate for\n\nvulnerable adults, except as specifically otherwise provided by law\n\nor by the court, shall have the same power, duties and\n\nresponsibilities as assigned to a guardian ad litem by law and shall\n\nhave such other qualifications, duties and responsibilities as may\n\nbe prescribed by rule of the Supreme Court.\n\n4. A court-appointed advocate for vulnerable adults shall serve\n\nwithout compensation.\n\nE. 1. Any person participating in a judicial proceeding as a\n\ncourt-appointed advocate for vulnerable adults shall be presumed\n\nprima facie to be acting in good faith and in so doing shall be\n\nimmune from any civil liability that otherwise might be incurred or\n\nimposed.\n\n2. Any person serving in a management position of a court-\n\nappointed advocate for vulnerable adults organization, including a\n\nmember of the Board of Directors acting in good faith, shall be\n\nimmune from any civil liability or any vicarious liability for the\n\nnegligence of any court-appointed advocate for vulnerable adults\n\norganization advocates, managers or directors.","path":["OK Code","Title 30"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os30.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"b99afadd674015698b9c56d3a36e0970d11730dd99eceadbe551da3b21ff54af","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-30-30-3-106","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-30-30-3-107"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}