Index: src/services/guardianship/context.js
===================================================================
--- src/services/guardianship/context.js	(revision 6b5d7da762e4f4cedbefb24fb218a1006897f071)
+++ src/services/guardianship/context.js	(revision fa33214eb34752fafee25fc95942f470701006f8)
@@ -24,3 +24,20 @@
 }
 
-export default { SHAER_CONTEXT, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP_COMPACT, isGuardianRelationship };
+/**
+ * True when an actor document carries `shaer:guardians` — i.e. it is a ward,
+ * and therefore not a valid guardian (§1). The one question §4 asks, in both
+ * places it asks it: before committing a guardianship (§4.2) and before
+ * delivering an escalation to one (§4.1).
+ *
+ * §2.1 allows the list as an array of URIs, a single URI, or a Collection, so
+ * all three are read here rather than in each caller.
+ */
+export function carriesGuardians(doc) {
+  const g = doc && doc['shaer:guardians'];
+  if (Array.isArray(g)) return g.length > 0;
+  if (typeof g === 'string') return g.length > 0;
+  if (g && typeof g === 'object') return Array.isArray(g.items) ? g.items.length > 0 : true;
+  return false;
+}
+
+export default { SHAER_CONTEXT, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP_COMPACT, isGuardianRelationship, carriesGuardians };