The National Center for State Courts has been awarded a three-year, $450,000 State Justice Institute strategic initiative grant to address barriers to adopting adult guardianship reform efforts and best practices. The project will examine challenges courts face, support implementation of reforms and develop resources for courts and other stakeholders working with vulnerable adults.

“This award will help us gain a more complete understanding of just how many adults in the U.S. are subject to guardianship and conservatorship and what challenges courts are experiencing in their work to strengthen responses to vulnerable adults,” said NCSC Senior Court Management Consultant Angela Sager. “We'll also have an opportunity to build court capacity for implementing reforms and innovations.”

Research, resources and implementation

The phased effort will include activities supporting foundation and learning, expanded implementation, and sustainability and dissemination. NCSC will conduct a national scan of the challenges courts face in implementing guardianship reform efforts. It will also identify barriers to adoption and translate research into practical, capacity-building strategies intended to help state courts strengthen protections for vulnerable adults, reduce unnecessary or overly restrictive interventions, and improve court efficiency nationwide.

  • Developing a reliable national estimate of adults subject to guardianship or conservatorship through advanced statistical modeling of data from multiple sources, including projections for jurisdictions where direct data are unavailable.
  • Updating a judicial capacity handbook and companion desk book with judges, attorneys, clinicians and aging experts. The resources will reflect current law, clinical knowledge and best practices in capacity assessment and decision-making.
  • Creating practical tools, guidance and resources for judges and other stakeholders serving emerging adults who are at risk of guardianship or currently subject to guardianship, with a focus on less restrictive alternatives and supportive decision-making.
  • Establishing learning communities focused on guardianship and conservatorship reforms and innovations, including adult guardianship data, the use of AI to review monitoring reports, and emerging adults.

The handbook and desk book effort will be a multidisciplinary collaboration involving NCSC, the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and other American Bar Association entities. The project also will provide implementation planning support to a select group of states. Working with NCSC, those states will develop written action plans aligned with their priorities, with ongoing support to monitor progress and promote successful implementation.

National dissemination

NCSC will share project products, findings and lessons learned with the national guardianship community and allied partners through targeted outreach, presentations, publications and peer-learning opportunities. The stated goal of these activities is to promote broader adoption of effective practices and support continuing guardianship reform efforts nationwide.