Fiona Graham, Supervisor of the Public Guardianship program for the Montgomery County government, will be covering an overview of guardianship, in general, as it relates to vulnerable adults in Maryland.  She will also cover how guardianship works in our County.  The County acts as Guardian of Person, or medical decision maker, for vulnerable adults adjudicated by the Circuit Court of Montgomery County to lack capacity to make their own medical or placement decisions.  She will explain how guardianship is initiated as part of the continuum of Adult Protective Services in Montgomery County.  She will also discuss how the county gets cases, who comprises the clientele, and how the county government is monitored by the Court and the various agencies to which they report.  She will also talk about the Adult Public Guardianship Review Board and how that is an integral part of the Public Guardianship experience in Maryland.

Ms Graham has a Master's degree in Social Work and a license at the clinical/certified level by the State of Maryland (LCSW-C). She did two years' post masters supervision with a clinical certified social worker. She is also a National Certified Guardian through the Center for Guardianship Certification, an arm of the National Guardianship Association.  This means she has been qualified through education and testing, along with maintaining 20 hours of continuing education every two years related to guardianship.  This is a national professional organization that has the highest ethical standards in our profession.  Ms Graham abides by the code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers and the National Guardianship Association.