The Guardinship Project launched in the fall of 2025 as an Equal Justice Works project. While parents whose children are taken into the dependency court system are entitled to free, court-appointed counsel, those whose children are the subject of a probate guardianship action—usually filed by a family member or close friend—are not. These parents face suspension of their parental rights, and yet they often have no choice but to go to court alone and underinformed due to their inability to afford private counsel. Existing legal aid projects prioritize assistance to guardians. Once established, it is difficult to terminate a guardianship, and after two years, the guardian can file to terminate the parents’ parental rights and adopt the child. When a self-represented parent can’t present to a probate judge all the facts they need to make life-altering decisions, children can suffer. Through our Guardianship Project, parents receive education about their rights and responsibilities, legal advice and counsel, pleading preparation, and direct representation to oppose a guardianship, terminate a guardianship, or modify a guardianship to grant the parent a meaningful and appropriate relationship with their child.