Educational Opportunity - Mark Your Calendars! Non-Professional/Family Guardians

Florida Law requires every person appointed by the court to be a guardian to receive a minimum of 8 hours of instruction and training on guardianship related matters (four hours of instruction required for guardians of a minor, property only), within four (4) months after appointment as guardian. Family Guardianship classes have been approved and developed by the Elder Justice Center, and are designed to inform those who have been assigned to be a guardian for a child or an elderly person. The class provides individuals with information on the responsibilities necessary to perform the duties of a guardian.

Be prepared to take care of a family member or a minor who is in need of your care. 

To maintain social distancing, we are limiting the classes to 15 students per session.  Click on the link below, to ensure your name is on our waiting list.

 

Guardianship Class Registration

 

Family Guardianship Class Schedule 2024
8-hour Class, for Guardians of an Adult (Person and/or Property) or a Minor (Person and Property)

June 7, 2024  from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 800 E. Twiggs Street.  Registration fee $75.00, includes book/learning materials. *CLASS IS FULL*

August 30 , 2024  from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 800 E. Twiggs Street.  Registration fee $75.00, includes book/learning materials

4-Hour Class, for Guardians of a Minor, Property Only
*DATE TBA* 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 800 E. Twiggs Street.  Registration fee $35.00, includes book/learning materials.

Minimum enrollment 5 students, Maximum enrollment 15 students

Students may register by phone, by calling (813) 276-2726, or by clicking the "Guardianship Class Registration" button, above.

 
For parking options, please click here: http://www.tampasdowntown.com/interactive-map.aspx

Information about the class can also be found at http://www.adultadvocacyfoundation.org/familyguardians.html

Eldercaring Coordination Program

www.eldercaringcoordination.com

Eldercaring Coordination is a dispute resolution option specifically for those high conflict court cases involving issues related to the care and needs of elders. Eldercaring Coordination is to complement, not replace, other services such as provision of legal information or legal representation, individual/family therapy, medical, psychological or psychiatric evaluation or mediation.

Eldercaring Coordination focuses on reducing the level of conflict in families so that the family members are able to focus more productively on the issues at hand and work with others in their support system to provide legal advice, guidance and care. This process of eldercaring coordination will:

• Help manage high conflict family dynamics so that the elder, family and stakeholders can address their non-legal issues independently from the court;
• Ready the elder and family to work with collaterals to address medical, care and financial issues, avoiding delays and resulting in better decisions for the elder;
• Foster self-determination of the elder and family for as long as possible;
• Promote safety by monitoring situations at high risk for abuse or neglect, as it relates to elders and vulnerable adults;
• Provide a support system for the elder and family during times of transition, and;
• Reduce the need for court intervention in family issues concerning the needs and care of elders.

Below is some helpful information about Eldercaring Coordination, the benefits, and the process:

Eldercaring Coordination Brochure

Benefits of Eldercaring Coordination

Cost Comparisons with Eldercaring Coordination and Legal Services

Identifying Cases Appropriate for Eldercaring Coordination

ACResolution Magazine on Eldercaring Coordination

Florida Dispute Resolution Center

 

For more information about Eldercaring Coordination, or if you believe you have a case that might be appropriate for the process, please contact the Program Site Administrator, Jennifer Branch, at 813-276-2726, at Eldercaring@fljud13.org  or General Magistrate Sean Cadigan, at 813-276-8517.  You can also link to the Program's website, at http://www.eldercaringcoordinationfl.org/. 

An educational video was produced, to educate seniors, caregivers, attorneys, or anyone interested, regarding the Eldercaring Coordination process.  You can access the video here:  https://youtu.be/LQdPscMcim4

Florida Council on Aging 2023 Annual Conference

The FCOA is meeting August 7-9, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.  Follow this link for more information.

Operation S.A.F.E.

Operation S.A.F.E., Stop Adult Financial Exploitation, is an initiative provided by the Florida Department of Financial Services designed to protect Florida’s seniors from financial fraud and scams through education.   The educational video series can be accessed here.  

Professional Guardian Fee Guidelines
Click here to view the guardian fee guidelines for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.

2019 Guardianship Fee Workgroup Report Approval
Click here to view the 2019 Guardianship Fee Workgroup Report Approval

Professional Guardians

Professional Guardians must complete a forty (40) hour training course within one (1) year of becoming a professional guardian. This course must be approved by the Office of  Public & Professional Guardians. You can view current class offerings at CE broker https://courses.cebroker.com/search. Under COURSE TYPE Click ‘Live” under the SUBJECT AREA select “Initial 40 Hour Course”. Under LOCATION select “Florida”. Leave all the other fields blank to see courses throughout Florida. New classes are added as they become available.

Professional guardians are also required to obtain continuing education credits, and pass an exam. Sixteen (16) continuing education hours must be completed every two (2) years. Information on continuing education opportunities and the guardianship exam can be found at the Office of Public & Professional Guardians. 

Serving on the Court’s “Guardianship Examining Committee”

The Guardianship Examining Committee consists of qualified professionals and lay persons who make an assessment regarding an alleged incapacitated person and report to the Court, to assist the Court in making a determination as to that person’s ability to exercise certain legal rights.  

The work product of the Examining Committee is an essential consideration of the Guardianship Court, before declaring a person to be legally incapacitated, in whole or in part, and before removing any of that person’s rights and, potentially, delegating some of those rights to a legal guardian.  

Appointments to the Committee are made each year by the Chief Judge or his designee.  Applications are only accepted for a limited time annually.   A completed Application is required, along with a résumé reflecting relevant experience.   Additionally, applicants are required to submit to a criminal background check and are subject to both initial and ongoing training requirements. Payment for the services of an Examining Committee Member is made in accordance with the applicable Administrative Order(s) of this Court. 

Applications from prospective new members of the Committee are only accepted during November and/or December of each year, for service on the next year’s Examining Committee. When the Application Period has been determined, you will find an item in the “ANNOUNCEMENTS” section of the Court’s homepage, with the deadline and a link to the actual Application.   If you wish to be notified when the next Application Period begins, please send an e-mail, to elder@fljud13.org, with your contact information.

●For more detailed information about the Examining Committee, click here.

●The applicable Administrative Orders are Nos.  S-2021-046 (Guardianship Examining Committee Fees) and S-2021-077 (Guardianship Procedures).

●To contact us with questions or to be notified when the next Application Period begins, please send an e-mail to: elder@fljud13.org.

Attorney Listings for Guardianship/Guardian Advocacy Cases
See Frequently Asked Questions for more info.