What Are the Duties of General Guardians?

• Guardians are responsible for basic custody of a minor who is a ward of the state.father with child. autumn image by Pavel Losevsky from Fotolia.com
  
  Guardianship is a privilege and duty all in one. A guardian is someone who is legally responsible for the care and management of a ward. This could be a child that is a ward of the state or a minor released to the care of a general guardian. Guardians must adhere to all guardianship duties that the court specifies.
  
  

General Guardian Duties

• A guardian must be an adult resident of the state in which they live in. A general guardian must provide the Clerk of Court with an annual report of financial transactions for the ward. In case of a general guardian moving out-of-state, he may be required by duty to still submit to laws of jurisdiction in his previous state of residency and must provide the Clerk of Court with new out-of-state resident address.
  
  

Duties to Ward

• A general guardian must make provisions for the minor ward's care. This includes medical and psychological treatment. A guardian must also provide comfort to the ward, including shelter and maintenance. Guardians must ensure the minor is educated, trained or employed if applicable. If a ward of the state has previous written instructions related to medical or mental health-care, the guardian must abide by these instructions.
  
  

Duties to Court

• According to the courts, a guardian can only be appointed if the minor has no living parents or if the rights of the parents have been terminated. Money belonging to the ward must be kept separate from personal funds of the guardian. Guardians cannot borrow money from the ward of loan the ward's money. Any real or personal property of the ward cannot be used for anyone but the ward. A guardian cannot have a minor sterilized unless medically necessary. Once a minor ward reaches the age of 18 all property and interest must be released to the minor.