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What Is a Ward? Definition, Uses and Importance.

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A ward is a person or thing under guard, protection, or surveillance: such as

Minors are subject to wardship. A ward can also refer to a person who by reason of incapacity (such as minority or mental illness) is under the protection of a court either directly or through a guardian appointed by the court.

Sometimes this is referred to as a ward of court. In this circumstance, the court grants a person the responsibility of caring for and protecting another.


A ward is also the name given to a child who is watched over by someone other than his parents. Sometimes children are known as “wards of the state,” meaning they have been taken from their homes.

To put it another way, the term “ward” refers to someone who has been placed in the care of a legal guardian by the courts. If a juvenile is being neglected or abused by his or her parents, or if he or she has been in conflict with the law, a government agency may temporarily take custody of him or her. This person is known as  a “ward of the court”.

How is a ward taken into account during probate?

In order to protect the ward’s assets, the court will appoint a guardian to manage their property. The guardian must account for the ward’s assets during probate. If there is money left over after the costs of the estate are paid, the guardian may distribute it to the ward or their heirs.

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