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Program Overview

The Autumn 2008 program is no longer accepting applications Single courses may be available » Currently accepting applications for Spring 2009. See Spring offering » Programs begin in: Spring 2009  See Spring offering » Autumn 2009 Program location: Online + Classroom (Bellevue) Combined Next information meeting: Online info session available now » (requires Flash Player ») Sign up to receive e-mail updates » Contact a program representative »

Becoming a Professional Guardian can be a rewarding experience, and the need for trained Certified Professional Guardians is growing. This 90-hour certificate program provides a comprehensive overview of guardianship of developmentally disabled adults, elderly individuals with diminished capacity, adults with acquired disabilities due to trauma/stroke, and other adults (18 years and older) who have been declared "incapacitated" by Washington State courts.

In this program, you will develop the skills necessary to effectively navigate the social and health service system on behalf of your clients. In addition, you will learn the fiduciary responsibilities, legal/regulatory frameworks, and ethical contexts required to be a Professional Guardian in Washington State.

Using an integrated approach to guardianship practice, this program will provide you with a contextual learning environment. Case studies will be used throughout the courses to draw on real-world practice. Students will:

• Learn the legal processes;
• Gain an understanding of the responsibilities of guardians for both the incapacitated person and their estate;
• Acquire the knowledge to apply ethical frameworks and constructive problem-solving skills for working through ambiguous, conflict-prone relationships, and;
• Develop the practical skills and know how necessary to be an effective guardian.

View detailed information about program objectives here.

Instructors include practicing Certified Professional Guardians, attorneys, nurses and other experts with decades of experience in working with incapacitated persons throughout Washington.

For those seeking to become a Certified Professional Guardian (CPG), successful completion of this UW certificate program meets the initial educational requirement of the Washington State Supreme Court CPG Board as one of the prerequisites to become a CPG. A professional guardian, in the legal definition of the term, "is not a member of the incapacitated person's family and charges fees for carrying out the duties of court-appointed guardian of three or more incapacitated persons" (see RCW 11.88.008).

Program Benefits

In this five-month certificate program, you will participate in lectures, complete assignments, engage in case work examples, write personal care plans, conduct an inventory of assets and complete assessments that develop your understanding of the role and responsibilities of being a guardian in collaboration with an incapacitated person(s).

The program combines 56 hours of classroom-based instruction and 34 hours of online instruction. The scheduling of the courses in two-day classroom increments along with the online dimension of the program is designed to enable students throughout the 39 counties in Washington to participate. (View additional detailed information about the program objectives here.)

Other benefits that you will obtain from this program:

• Building a network of contacts and relationships to enhance your role as a Professional Guardian.
• Gaining the experience and insights of course instructors and fellow students who have achieved impressive results in decades of guardianship and/or related professional practices.
• Mastering and implementing the highest standards of practice that will be of enormous benefit to incapacitated persons.
• Find fulfillment in a challenging and constantly changing work environment that is interesting, diverse, exasperating, and rewarding all in the course of any given day.
• For those seeking to become Certified Professional Guardians (CPG), successful completion of this certificate program meets the initial educational requirement. as one of the prerequisites to become a CPG

Is Guardianship Right for You?

Individuals who should consider this program include:

• Individuals in the 39 counties of Washington who intend to apply to the Washington State Supreme Court CPG Board to become a Certified Professional Guardian (CPG);
• Office of Public Guardianship (OPG) Consultants who need to complete the program;
• Non-professional guardians who are court-appointed as Guardians of the person and/or estate of an incapacitated family member or other loved one, but who do not seek to become a CPG;
• Family members and friends of persons with diminishing capacity, seeking further knowledge, and;
• Professionals from related fields seeking additional education and continuing education credits on the subject matter.

Contact a Program Representative

For more information about this program, please call 206-685-8936 in the greater Seattle area, or 888-469-6499, or e-mail us.

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