AIKEN --- Gary Watson thought he was prepared for the types of abuse and neglect he would see when he first became a guardian ad litem.

"I found out very quickly that I'd led a very sheltered life," he said.

Guardians are the court-appointed advocates for children in crisis -- those who have either been removed from their homes by law enforcement or removed because their health is in danger and the Department of Social Services steps in. Such children have been beaten, sexually assaulted, kept in an uninhabitable home or neglected.

Mr. Watson, a coordinator for the Aiken County guardian program, said it's not a job for everyone, but he does recruit people for the volunteer job. A training event is scheduled Friday for those interested.

"Can we prepare guardians for this?" Mr. Watson asked. "I don't think so."

But he can warn people who think they want to be a child's court advocate.

"It is a frustrating job," he said. "We see things we don't like to admit goes on in our society."

Should someone choose to be a guardian -- a volunteer position that doesn't pay and doesn't reimburse for expenses -- they can expect to represent one or many children per case.

Nancy Daly has been a guardian ad litem for two years, signing up after she retired to Aiken from New Jersey. She said the best guardians are those who can deal with frustrations and be willing to make such tough decisions as whether a child is better off in foster care than remaining with an abusive family.

And they can't bail once the child has come to depend on them. "You have to be committed to it," Ms. Daly said.

As of Thursday, 62 guardians were supporting 195 children in 94 open court cases, Mr. Watson said. He'd like 40 more.

He needs those who are at least 21 and can pass background and reference checks. He said he's looking for "people who want to serve children, and can commit to serving children for at least two years."

They also have to be able to attend court at 2 p.m. Thursdays -- the hearings are essentially mandatory, he said. Guardians also must be willing to put in the hours needed to compile the guardian reports for the judge.

That can mean 10 to 20 hours the first month the guardian receives a case, he said, and typically four more hours every month after that. The 30 hours of training that guardians undergo teaches them to write the court reports, he said, which are compiled from information received while interviewing family, law enforcement and school officials.

He said he cannot predict who will be a good guardian, but he hopes some will try rather than give up before starting.

"You have a child's life at your disposal," he said. "You can shape it."