Guardianship and its Alternatives

Alternatives to guardianship are not exactly equal to guardianship. Rather each alternative has a feature(s) of guardianship and, if the alternative is tailored to meet the specific needs of the person, it could delay guardianship or eliminate the need for it altogether.

So for the purpose of this training, we’re going to define Alternatives to Guardianship as any legal tool, social service, natural support, community resource, or government program that does not lead to full guardianship - the most restrictive type of guardianship. Alternatives to full guardianship are preferable because they allow individuals to hold on to some or all of their independence and basic rights.

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