Resource Link

https://tslp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Alternatives-to-Guardianship-Stoplight-Tool.pdf

Resource Description

Introduction: The Missouri Stoplight Tool helps people decide if someone needs a guardian or if there are other ways to get help. It was made by groups in DC that work with people with disabilities. The tool uses colors like a stoplight to show how much help someone might need.

Resource Summary

Content Summary: The tool helps check how well someone can make choices about their life. It looks at many parts of daily life. These include work, health, safety, money, and relationships. For each life area, there are questions to answer. The answers use three colors, like a stoplight. Green means the person can do things on their own or with help they already have. Yellow means they might need more help making choices. Red means they might need someone else to make choices for them. When filling out the tool, people first look at what someone can do on their own. They mark these things green. Then they look at what someone needs help with. They mark these things yellow. They only mark things red if no other kind of help will work. The tool shows many ways to help someone besides getting a guardian. Some people use supported decision-making. This means friends or family help them understand choices. Some people give someone they trust power of attorney. This lets that person help with specific things. Some people get a representative payee to help with Social Security money. The form asks about many kinds of choices. It asks if someone can find a job or manage money. It checks if they can stay healthy and safe. It looks at how they handle relationships and community life. It also asks if they know their rights and can speak up for themselves. The tool reminds us that people's needs change over time. Someone might need different kinds of help as they learn and grow. People should look at the form again at least once a year. Getting a guardian is a big step that can be hard to undo. The tool helps find other ways to help first. It shows that many people can make their own choices if they have the right kind of help. Full guardianship should only be used when no other help will work.