Quick and Easy Blurb to Legal Guardian
A legal guardian is an individual who is appointed in order to assume responsibility over another individual. A legal guardian may be assigned to a child who is under the age of eighteen, or to an incapacitated adult who is unable to provide themselves with adequate care.
A legal guardian will be responsible for providing a child with proper shelter, as well as basic necessities such as food and clothing. They will also be required to ensure that a child is receiving adequate medical care, as well as a proper education.
A legal guardian can be appointed for a variety of different reasons. In many cases, a parent will choose to appoint a legal guardian for their child if they are going to be away for a long period of time. This will ensure that the child is being looked after and it will give the guardian the ability to consent to medical treatment should an emergency arise.
A parent may choose an individual to become their child's legal guardian in the case that they die. In some cases, an individual may choose to petition to become a child's legal guardian if they feel that the child's parents are unfit or abusive.
Becoming a child's legal guardian is a legal process that involves filing paperwork, a court hearing, and a home inspection. If an individual feels that they would like help dealing with the legalities and stresses of this legal process, they may choose to enlist the assistance of a guardianship lawyer.
However, in many cases an individual who is petitioning a court for guardianship of a child will represent themselves. The individual will be required to provide the court with sufficient evidence that the child is not in a safe environment and that it is in the child's best interest to be placed in their care.
Even a long term legal guardianship is not considered to be permanent. It is important that an individual who is considering petitioning a court for legal guardianship understand all of the aspects and responsibilities of being a child's legal guardian.
NEXT: Understand The Court Fees and Cost Before Becoming A Legal Gaurdian
