Among the thousands of children growing up in institutions there are a few dozens who don’t have anybody who can act as their legal guardian. These children have no parents or other close relatives, or have been abandoned by their kin. In some cases a court of law has declared the parents unfit, and removed the child from their care. Many of these children are severely emotionally damaged, and need somebody to look after them, and protect their interests. In many of these cases the staff of the institution who turn to the courts asking for the appointment of a legal guardian.

The Guardianship Program was set up by “Yeladim” to look after these children. Two experienced social workers are employed part time to look after more then 30 children who grow up in 18 different institutions. Every one of these children enjoys, at least once a month, a long and relaxed visit by the guardian. This gives the child an opportunity to share needs or problems with a sympathetic adult. The guardian acts as advocate for the child  , and takes steps needed to provide the child with the best opportunities to realize his or her potential. The guardian mobilizes volunteers on behalf of the child, including host families for weekends and holidays.

The guardianship program maintains a bank account for each child. In this account any funds due to the child (inheritance, children’s allowance etc.) are being accumulated, in order to assure the child some resources when he or she leaves the institution. Occasionally the guardian will allocate funds to pay for needs or wishes that are not covered by the budget of the institution. None of these funds are used to pay for the guardianship services. These are financed entirely by contributions from foundations and the public.

Legally the guardianship ends when the child reaches the age of 18. However, the guardians mostly continue to follow their young clients for months or even years, as they struggle with the demands of military service, higher education or the labor market. A few of the graduates of this program are unable to look after themselves. In these cases the program follows them until another person or organization has been appointed as guardian.