PA Guardianship Justice Summits
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First Pennsylvania Guardianship Justice Summit – September 2023
The Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts and the Office of Elder Justice in the Courts hosted the first Pennsylvania Guardianship Justice Summit (Summit), which provided education to, and fostered collaboration between, stakeholders involved with guardianship and related topics. Attendees included orphans’ court judges and clerks, professional guardians, staff from state agencies involved with elder justice, elder law and legal aid attorneys, legislators, disability advocates, health care providers and evaluators, long-term care providers, and adult protective services.
Topics discussed at the Summit included assuring due process in guardianship proceedings, advancing improvements in monitoring guardians, promoting alternatives to guardianship, and increasing the development of collaboration between state and local organizations. Notable sessions included: “What is Incapacity?,” “Assuring Due Process in Guardianship,” and “Alternatives to Guardianship – Legal and Community Alternatives.” Additional featured topics included limited guardianship, assisting adults with decision-making, preventing financial exploitation, and guardianship in long-term care/hospitals.
Four Regional Collaboration Groups were created at the Summit to continue discussions and efforts to address challenges faced by communities related to guardianship and alternatives to guardianship, community resources, and due process for persons potentially in need of a guardian.
Watch Presentations from the 2023 Guardianship Justice Summit
A second Guardianship Justice Summit is being planned for the spring of 2025. The Summits are made possible by a grant (approximately $3 million) awarded to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts by the federal Administration on Community Living (ACL). The ACL’s Elder Justice Innovation Grant program provides financial assistance to states working to assess and improve their handling of adult guardianship cases. Pennsylvania is one of three states that received funding. The OEJC oversees the work of the grant, which runs from September 1, 2022, through August 31, 2025.
This program was supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,827,313 with 75% funded by ACL/HHS and $631,644 and 25% funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.