Rhode Island Guardianship is established by state law.
The rationale behind guardianship statutes is to allow a person who is fully or partially unable to care for him or herself to receive the services and care he or she needs while also maintaining an appropriate level of independence.
Each guardianship is unique. Therefore, the scope of the authority under guardianships is different, as they are governed by the level of a person’s particular needs.
As the population of society ages, more families are faced with the need for guardianship.
A guardianship may be terminated if the court deems that the need for the relationship has ended. For example, if a person were undergoing alcohol or drug treatment and successfully completed the program, the court may find that the need for a guardian is no longer warranted. So, too, when a child in a court-supervised guardianship reaches the age of majority, the court will likely terminate that supervision.