The court visitor program toolkit strives to create community-based support for probate courts in guardianship cases.

The court visitor program toolkit strives to create community-based support for probate courts in guardianship cases.

A new resource published by the Ohio Supreme Court aims to help probate courts and people involved in guardianship cases.

The toolkit is designed to assist local courts with the creation and implementation of a community-based program to ensure the needs of guardians and the people they’re caring for, known as wards.

Probate courts are charged with monitoring whether guardians are acting in their wards’ best interests, and that the wards are not falling victim to elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Developed by the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on Children and Families Subcommittee on Adult Guardianship, the toolkit details how local courts can establish their own programs as well as how to recruit and train local volunteers to serve as visitors.

The court visitor program’s purpose is to provide probate courts with more people to help with the judicial oversight between a ward and their guardian.

“The Court Visitor Program toolkit is a comprehensive resource for courts, regardless of size, for developing, implementing, and sustaining a court-monitoring system,” said Stark County Probate Judge Dixilene Park, the subcommittee’s chair.

“It aimed at confirming the well-being of wards, and providing guardians support and direction to services and benefits for wards,” Judge Park said.

Through visitors, a court can determine whether a ward is having issues and make sure the guardian has all the necessary information and resources for support services that may be beneficial to the ward.

Among other matters addressed in the toolkit are the mechanics of how to create a program, potential funding sources, and sample documents, including a volunteer application and handbook, marketing materials, and reports.

The toolkit was featured at the Probate Preconference education session in June, an annual training hosted by the Subcommittee on Adult Guardianship for judges and magistrates prior to the Ohio Association of Probate Judges’ Summer Conference.