The Washington State Certified Professional Guardian Board and the Administrative Office of the Courts have announced a partnership with the University of Washington to develop a 90-hour certificate program that will be mandatory for new Certified Profes- sional Guardian applicants.
The U.W. will be the sole provider of this program for individuals appointed by the courts to manage the medical, financial, legal and personal affairs of incapacitated adults. It significantly expands the former education requirement in length and scope and is expected to serve as a model for professional guardian education programs across the nation.
The new curriculum is being designed to assure more compassionate, fiscally responsible and ethical care of incapacitated persons; to enhance the profession; and to confirm for families that their loved ones are in the care of well-trained professionals. It also will ensure more effective use of administrative court time by expediting the proper flow of documents and recordkeeping in combination with the superior courts in each of the 39 Washington counties that manage these cases.
Sponsored by the U.W. schools of Law, Nursing and Social Work, and administered by U.W. Educational Outreach, the U.W. Certificate Program in Guardianship debuts in September. The program replaces the existing 16-hour mandatory training course.
While other states’ programs focus primarily on the legal and procedural aspects of professional guardianship, the U.W. program will add training in aspects of case management, healthcare, access to public services, the psychology and physical aspects of aging, family dynamics, fiduciary management, and more. Ethics will be a major emphasis throughout the program.
Washington was a leader in mandating certification of professional guardians when it began in 1998, upholding a model code of ethics and standards of practice with oversight by the courts. Many states have followed Washington’s example of certification, including Florida, Texas, California and Alaska. And now Washington leads the nation again by implementing by far the highest education standards for the profession.
No other state approaches the 90-hour education requirement nor partners with a university as sole provider of that education.
“The Certified Professional Guardianship Board’s collaboration with the University of Washington is on the cutting edge and I believe will become a national model,” said Gary Beagle, past president of the Center for Guardianship Certification.
To assure that the six-month program is as accessible as possible to prospective guardians across the state, the program will be a “hybrid” mix of traditional classroom training at U.W. Educational Outreach facilities in Bellevue, as well as online training. Courses will be taught by certified professional guardians and working professionals in the specific fields.
All instructors will be reviewed and approved by the Guardianship Advisory Group in collaboration with the sponsoring U.W. schools. Like all programs administered by U.W. Educational Outreach, the program will be fee-based and fiscally self-sustaining.
“We believe this is a major step forward in a progressive nationwide movement to provide improved services to incapacitated persons by increasing the quality of education for those chartered with their care,” said Hank Hibbard, chair of the CPG Board Educational Committee.
There are approximately 250 certified professional guardians in Washing-ton and some 40 certified professional guardian agencies (three or more guardians on staff).
For more information, visit the U.W. Extension Web site, http://outreach.washington.edu/uweo/, and click on the “Guardianship” link.
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