Under the Aegis: Nikki McCarthy on How Her Past Roles Shaped Her Practice as a GAL

In this video, TIGALA Guardian ad Litem Nikki McCarthy reflects on the roles that have shaped the advocate she is today. Drawing on years of experience, she shares the key moments in her career that continue to influence how she supports young people as a GAL.

Every Guardian ad Litem on our panel brings a distinct perspective to their work. It’s a part of what makes our GALs human. “I suppose everybody brings themselves to their role,” Nikki McCarthy reflects. For Nikki, that perspective is shaped by a long career that began in residential care, progressed through frontline social work, and ultimately led to her role as a Guardian ad Litem with TIGALA.

In our agency, we truly value the depth that comes from lived experience and the benefit that can bring to the children we represent. Each chapter of Nikki’s career has contributed to how she practises today, with every role offering new insights into the lives of children and families – ultimately allowing Nikki to have a positive impact on children's lives. This ongoing journey of learning and growth continues to shape her thoughtful, grounded approach to advocacy.

Nikki traces her journey back to where it began, highlighting her first role as having the most impact on her work as a Guardian ad Litem.

“The biggest one, I would probably say, [was] the starting point, really, of working in residential care,” she says. It was there that she had the opportunity to work closely with young people and see the reality of care from their point of view. “You see them at their highest moments and the lowest moments and everything in between… you get into a real, caring role.”

Working as a social worker in the Children in Care team – I think it probably grounded my practice.

That early experience laid the foundation for everything that followed. “That probably taught me a huge amount. I was young and willing to learn a lot,” Nikki explains. “So for me, I suppose that led into the rest of what has come in my career, really.”

Her work as a social worker with the Children in Care team further informs her approach as a Guardian ad Litem with TIGALA.

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“It gave me the confidence then to be able to move on and to become a Guardian ad Litem.” Advocacy, she reflects, “is the cornerstone of the role as a Guardian ad Litem,” and having had that close insight into different parts of the care journey, Nikki feels more prepared to represent the young people she works with.

“Understanding the different facets of a care journey for a young person is really important for me in my work… to have some understanding kind of going into [it], and having a confidence even when talking to young people about their experiences.”

Here at TIGALA, we know that strong advocacy is rooted in connection, compassion, and clarity of understanding. Nikki’s journey reminds us that the most powerful advocates are those who have taken the time to listen, to learn, and to grow – not just professionally, but personally – and that we bring the whole of our lived experience with us to work each day. Her path is one of many across our panel of Guardians, each bringing their own depth of experience to the role. It’s this diversity – grounded in empathy and united by shared purpose – that shapes the high standard of child advocacy we strive for every day.