If you want to operate a guardianship association whose employees provide care and legal representation to people on the basis of a court order, you need state recognition.

An association with legal capacity can be recognized as a guardianship association if it ensures that it

• has a sufficient number of suitable employees and will supervise, train and adequately insure them against damage that they may cause to others in the course of their work,
• makes planned efforts to recruit volunteer guardians, introduce them to their tasks, provide them with further training and advise them and authorized representatives,
• provides scheduled information on health care proxies and advance directives, and
• facilitates an exchange of experience between the employees.

In addition, it must be headed by persons who are suitable for this purpose according to their personality as well as their training or professional experience and who are not in a relationship of dependence or in any other close relationship with an institution in which people cared for by the association or members of the association are accommodated.

The recognition is valid for the respective country; it can be limited to individual parts of the country. It is revocable and may be granted subject to conditions.