Certified Professional Guardian Board (CPGB)

October 1, 2007

Certified Professional Guardian Board

Meeting Minutes
October 1, 2007
Kilroy Airport Center

Chair:  Judge Marywave Van Deren

Members Present:
Robin Balsam
Gary Beagle

Ree Ah Bloedow
Judge M. Karlynn Haberly
Hank Hibbard
John Jardine
Michael Longyear
Lori Petersen
Commissioner Kimberley Prochnau
Winsor Schmidt
Elizabeth Turner

Commissioner Joseph Valente
Judge Chris Wickham
Suzanne Thompson Wininger

Members Absent:
Ruth Craven
Sharon York (excused)

Visitors:
Bill Anderson, University of WA

Leesa Camerota, Capital Guardianship

Ken & Sylvia Curry, Your Advocates

Bill Jaback, Partners-in-Care
Roxanne Mennes, KCBA

Tom O’Brian, Guardianship Services of Seattle
Glenda Voller, Montlake Guardianship

Staff:
Chris Ruhl
Lynne Alfasso
Shirley Bondon
Sharon Eckholm

Sylvia Nelson

Call to Order
Judge Marywave Van Deren, Board Chair, called the meeting to order.  Judge Van Deren welcomed and introduced new Board member Mr. Gary Beagle, and Ms. Sharon Eckholm, the new AOC liaison to the Board.  Judge Van Deren welcomed the attending guests and asked that they please introduce themselves.

Board Business

(a)  Approval of September 10 Minutes

A motion was made and properly seconded to approve the minutes from September 10, 2007.  The motion passed.

(b)  Chair’s Report
The Chair provided a brief summary of her meeting with Roxanne Mennes, King County Bar Association (KCBA) Director of Continuing Education, and Bill Anderson, Assistant Director of the University of Washington Education Outreach (UWEO), regarding the guardian certificate program.  Ms. Mennes and Mr. Anderson will provide their individual comments to the Board during the Education Committee report. 

The Chair inquired whether the Board would like to add another Certified Professional Guardian to the Board.  All comments were in favor of adding another CPG to the Board.  Other comments included: adding more than one CPG to the Board; adding a solo practitioner CPG; and adding a non-lawyer CPG.

Regarding the timing of the Board’s Executive Session, the Chair commented that the lengthy sessions require the guests to wait for an unknown period of time therefore the Executive Session would take place immediately prior to the lunch hour.  This will allow the guests to go to lunch while waiting for the Board to return from Executive Session. 

Committee Reports

(a) Education Committee
Bill Anderson, Assistant Director of the UW Education Outreach program, provided a summary of the process for developing the proposed Guardian Certificate Program.  He indicated that he discussed the proposal with the UW Schools of Nursing, Social Work and Law, to determine the resources available.  He is also assessing the market for the program in the guardian community.  The first meeting of the UWEO Guardianship Advisory Group is scheduled for October 2, 2007.  The purpose of the meeting is to bring together the expertise of various academic disciplines as well as the practicing professions, agencies and associations to begin a dialogue on curriculum creation.

Roxanne Mennes, KCBA Director of Continuing Education, indicated that the KCBA does not support the UW 90-hour certificate program without first conducting a needs based analysis.  Ms. Mennes said that KCBA agrees the two day training needs to be improved and that after conducting a needs analysis, if the certificate program is the best option, the KCBA will support it.  Ms. Mennes said that she and Mr. Anderson looked at the UW curriculum and discussed the options in the event the needs analysis does not conclude a 90-hour program is appropriate.  She discussed options such as: a non-certificate program of less than 90 hours; an expansion of the current training program to 5-10 days, with input from a steering committee and perhaps a full-time educator employed by the Board; or the addition of testing and web-based delivery.

All comments by Board members and guests indicated the need to improve the two day training program.  Concerns were expressed regarding the resulting increased cost and accessibility to areas outside the Puget Sound.  The Chair and the Education Committee will continue to work with Mr. Anderson and Ms. Mennes on this issue.

(b) Rules Committee - Regulation Review

Suggested Amendments to General Rule (GR) 23:  Commissioner Valente, Rules Committee Chair, distributed a summary of the suggested amendments.  Lynne Alfasso highlighted the suggested amendments added since the Board’s consideration in June.  A motion was made and properly seconded to approve the suggested amendments to GR 23 for submission to the Supreme Court, subject to the proviso that clerical corrections by the Chair and Ms. Alfasso are permitted to allow for timely submission by the October 15, 2007, deadline.  The motion passed.

Proposed New Administrative Regulations:  A motion was made and properly seconded to approve the proposed new Administrative Regulations as drafted to be published for comment.  The motion passed.

Proposed Amended Disciplinary Regulations:  After discussing the proposed regulations a motion was made and properly seconded to approve the proposed amended disciplinary regulations as drafted with the following changes: (1) to add “investigation” to regulation 521 to include investigations as types of records that may be released to an official licensing or certifying body.  The motion passed.

A motion was made and properly seconded to remove the phrase “including hearsay evidence” from regulation 511.13 Rules of Evidence.  The motion failed.

Executive Session

The Board convened in Executive Session at approximately 12:00 p.m. 

Open Session
The Board reconvened in Open Session at approximately 12:55 p.m.  A motion was made and properly seconded authorizing the Board’s filing of a formal complaint with a request for emergency suspension in PGB 2007-007 (B), by October 30, 2007, unless substantial exculpatory evidence is presented at a meeting to be held by the Review Panel with the guardian by a date certain.  The motion passed.  Board member Robin Balsam will work with Lynne Alfasso in drafting the documents and setting up the meeting with the guardian.

Judge Haberly and Judge Wickham did not participate in the vote on this matter.

(b) Rules Committee (continued)

Discussion of the proposed amended Disciplinary Regulations was re-opened.  A motion was made and properly seconded to add the phrase “at least” before “three alternate board members of the SOPC” in regulation 505.1; and (2) to replace the draft language for the Rules of Evidence in regulation 511.13 with, “The rules of evidence shall be those set forth in chapter 34.05 RCW, the Administrative Procedure Act.”  The motion passed.

(c) Standard of Practice Committee (SOPC)
A motion was made and properly seconded to defer to the November 5 meeting  consideration of Proposed Standard of Practice (SOP) 401.18.  The SOPC will meet immediately following the Board meeting.

New Business

2007-2008 Meeting Dates:  The Board reviewed the meeting list for 2007-2008 and directed staff to change the November 10, 2008 meeting date to November 3, 2008 because November 10 is a holiday.

Committee Appointments:  The Chair appointed Gary Beagle to serve on the Ethics Committee and the Rules Committee.

Updated Board member List:  Staff was directed to add Gary Beagle.

Announcement from SCJA & Probate Guardianship:  Board member Robin Balsam distributed copies of the National Guardianship Association (NGA) 2007 Standards for Agencies or Programs Providing Guardianship Services.

Announcements
The next Board meeting is scheduled for November 5, 2007, 9 a.m. at the Kilroy Center.

Adjourn

Judge Van Deren adjourned the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Board Approved: November 5, 2007