VOLUNTEER GUARDIAN PROGRAM

Ensuring safety, dignity, and quality of life

We serve adults who are found to be incompetent of making important life decisions, managing their own personal affairs, and who do not have an appropriate support person in their life to make such decisions. The person in need of guardianship may experience a variety of issues that determine such incompetence, including:

Alzheimer’s Disease
Dementia (related to aging, injury or illness)
Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities
Mental health diagnosis
Traumatic Brain Injury or Acquired Brain Injury

What to expect as a Volunteer Guardian

Volunteer Guardians spend an average of two to three hours per month with their protected person, helping ensure they are taken care of and their needs are met. This can include helping to make important medical and legal decisions, advocating for the person's wishes in court, individualized activities, and navigating interpersonal relationships.

Crime Victim Services supports Guardians with the following:

documentation and reporting
monitoring court deadlines
continuing educations
counseling in day-to-day decision making.

Printable PDF Fact Sheet

Guardian Resources

Due to grant funding requirements, persons under guardianship whom we serve must also be a victim of crime in which the victimization has caused or significantly increases their ongoing cognitive or physical vulnerability to be re-victimized.

Knowledge of and/or documentation of the victimization must be provided.

Become a volunteer guardian

Attend a one-hour information session to learn about how you can support someone in need.
Submit the Volunteer Guardian Application
Participate in six hours of guardianship training
- Six-hour Fundamentals of Guardianship course through the Ohio Supreme Court
Three-hours continuing education courses annually with opportunities for additional trainings.