Guardianship Monitoring Program

The mission of the monitoring program is to help the Courts mitigate the risk of financial or other abuse of protected persons.

This program provides financial and wellbeing reviews for adults under guardianship or conservatorship protection. Cases are randomly selected for review, and District Court judges may refer cases to the program. The program manager performs the financial evaluations, and social workers perform the wellbeing reviews and provide a “visitor” report.

Any person can notify the District Court when they feel that a guardian is not acting in the ward’s best interest. Suspicions of fraud and abuse should be reported to Vulnerable Adult Protective Services (VAPS). Notification of a VAPS report to the court is very helpful.

The North Dakota Supreme Court adopted Administrative Order 24 in January of 2018. This Order authorizes the Guardianship Monitoring Program, and is available here.

Contact information for the monitoring program manager:

Rose Nichols
Guardianship Monitoring Program
North Dakota State Court System
600 E Boulevard Avenue, Mailstop 180
Bismarck ND 58505-0530
701-328-2212
guardianshipmonitor@ndcourts.gov

Helpful links for guardians of adult protected persons:

Forms, instructions, information on becoming a guardian including petitioning for guardianship, and maintaining the guardianship: Adult Guardianship.

Guardianship qualifications and Rule 59 information: Guardian of Adult Qualifications & Affidavits.

Free online training course: North Dakota Guardianship Training.

North Dakota Guardian Establishment Program: apply for financial assistance for the guardianship process Request for Guardianship Establishment Funds. (The proposed protected person must meet income qualifications.)

North Dakota Public Administrator Support Services program. Professional guardians may apply for reimbursement for costs of services to indigent protected persons.