Fundamentals of Guardianship Today | Full Series

NGA's Fundamentals of Guardianship Today Series

This series is geared toward people who are new to the field of guardianship. This interactive training, divided into five modules totaling 16 hours of learning, will feature expanded content, case studies, polls, breakout sessions, and takeaways like job aids to be immediately implemented into practice.

Each individual module will last for three hours, with the exception of the first module, which is four hours. 

Accessing the Webinars: Shortly before each module, you will receive an email with a Zoom link, along with materials that should be printed before the lessons.

Attendance Verification Codes: The presenters will announce three attendance verification codes during each module. Please record these codes during the lesson. You will receive an email at the conclusion of each module to submit codes to receive credit. 

Once attendance verification codes are entered, a certificate of completion will be available for download within 3-5 business days. You will receive an email when your certificate is available. 

Module 1: Guardianship From the Beginning

Lesson one provides a comprehensive look at the work guardians are expected to perform. During this 4-hour train­ing, participants will see how NGA’s updated Standards of Practice and Fundamentals of Guardianship books lay the groundwork for excellence in guardianship. Participants will discuss and define fundamental guardianship terms and definitions as they apply to four wildly different cases, analyze ways that good guardians make decisions in sample financial and medical situations, and receive three new in­fographic job aids that help make life at work easier (and learn how and when to use them.)

Module 2: Guardian of The Person: Skills, Tools & Actions (Part A)

Lesson two includes strategies for understanding the unique needs of each client and taking action using a per­son-centered approach. During this 3-hour training, parti­cipants will learn how to get to know clients, build trust re­lationships, and take urgent actions quickly. Participants will work with best practices for getting organized right away, in­cluding a sample intake form and key information guardians need early in a new guardianship.

Module 3: Guardian of The Person: Skills, Tools & Actions (Part B)

Lesson three addresses actions that guardians of the person are expected to take, including creating effective written care plans with achievable client goals for clients at all stages of life. During this 3-hour training, participants will practice acting as surrogate decision-makers with effective strategic plans and well-documented processes. Participants will con­sider varied assessment tools and discover best practices for making medical decisions that include thorough under­standing of issues, treatments, outcomes with well-docu­mented explanations of a decision-making process.

Module 4: Guardian of The Estate: Skills, Tools & Actions

During this 3-hour training, participants will work through standards for guardians of the estate, steps for identifying and marshalling assets, creating documentation, and taking actions to protect clients’ financial well-being. Participants will discuss who gets a guardian of the estate, what is ex­pected of guardians in this important role, best practices for understanding clients’ values and goals, procedures for mar­shalling assets, and completing documentation. Participants will practice working with case study clients to address simple and challenging issues including budgeting, working with families, property management, and conflict of interest situations.

Module 5: The Rights of Adults with Guardians: From Beginning to End

During this 3-hour training, participants will focus on pro­tecting the legal and human rights of each client. They will discuss case studies that involve explaining a client’s rights, recognizing when rights are being threatened, and taking ac­tion as needed to modify or end guardianship. Working with NGA’s Bill of Rights and Standards of Practice, participants will understand when to seek modification and/or termina­tion of guardianship and learn about interstate transfer of guardianship as it applies to case study situations. In addi­tion, participants will understand actions to take in situations where a guardian has resigned or needs to be removed, and work through client situations where abuse must be stopped and reported.