We will be happy to advise you if you would like to find out more about the profession of guardianship and advise you on taking on voluntary guardianship.

Anyone who can no longer manage everyday life independently due to an illness or disability can be assigned a guardian as their legal representative. The guardian then helps the person concerned, for example, to manage his or her official, financial or health-related affairs. If you find out that a person is in need of assistance, you can request legal guardianship for him or her. To do this, contact the local court that has jurisdiction over the person's place of residence.

In principle, any adult with legal capacity can become a guardian. Anyone who would like to provide voluntary or professional care for persons in need of assistance can apply to the care office for this purpose. For care as an honorary position, an expense allowance of 425.00 euros (as of 01.01.2023) per year can be applied for. Volunteer caregivers are insured through a collective liability insurance.

Due to the new Act on the Organization of Care (BTOG), caregivers have been required to register with the local care office since January 1, 2023. The remuneration of professional care is based on the Law on the Remuneration of Guardians and Caregivers (VBVG). As a rule, the costs of care are borne by the person being cared for. If he or she is not in a position to do so, the judicial fund assumes the costs.

You can find detailed information on spousal emergency representation law on the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice under the following link:

• Information on emergency spousal representation