The services detailed below may have some involvement (or overlap) with services provided by the Case Management unit, but they are not explicitly case management services. It is for that reason they are presented here rather than on the site's Case Management page.

Advocacy

Persons served by Golden Gate Regional Center can expect the agency to advocate for their rights and needs. Ways in which GGRC provides advocacy include:

• Staff members working closely with individuals and families to ensure that service providers, schools and other public agencies provide the services that best meet the needs of the individual or family
• The Executive Director lobbying public officials and agencies on behalf of the needs and concerns of persons served by GGRC
• The Constituent Advisory Committee, comprised of persons served by the regional center, advising individuals on how to advocate effectively for themselves
• The Consumer Rights Advocate counseling staff members, individuals and families on the rights of persons with developmental disabilities

In addition to the above, GGRC may refer individuals and families to the local Clients' Rights Advocate provided by the Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy (OCRA). This person is a legal professional who is available to help persons served by the regional center in negotiations, meetings and hearings involving GGRC or other public agencies.

Guardianship & Conservatorship

Guardianships and conservatorships are legal mechanisms by which an individual or agency (the "guardian" or "conservator") is appointed by a court of law to assist and care for the personal and/or financial welfare of a person (the "ward" or "conservatee") who is unable to adequately provide self-care in one or both of these areas. A guardianship is the mechanism used when the person is a minor (under 18 years of age); a conservatorship is the mechanism used when the person is an adult. 

In the latter category, there is a specific mechanism, the "limited conservatorship," that exists for individuals with developmental disabilities. In this kind of conservatorship, the conservatee retains the power to manage his, her or their own affairs commensurate with his, her or their abilities. The aim of such an arrangement is to protect and promote the wellbeing of the conservatee while encouraging as much independence as possible.

GGRC can provide information about conservatorships (limited or otherwise) and guardianships to family or friends of persons served by the regional center. This information may include referrals to legal resources that can help a person (or persons) obtain a guardianship or conservatorship.

Court-Ordered Evaluations

Under certain circumstances, a court of law may order GGRC to provide an evaluation of a person served by the agency. Such an order may be issued in response to a crime the person has committed or behavior exhibited by the person that is likely to endanger (or has endangered) another individual or the person's self.

Community Placement

GGRC is an active partner in the Department of Developmental Services' Community Placement Plan (CPP). The purpose of the CPP is to transition individuals residing in the state's developmental centers (DCs) into the community and to provide appropriate housing for individuals who would otherwise be placed in a DC. This effort is consistent with the United States Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), which upheld the integration mandate codified in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.