It is very hard for a parent to leave their children when traveling for work or for a business trip even if it’s just for a short period of time but it is necessary to live and serve food on the table. In order to secure the children’s needs while a parent is away, there must be a temporary guardian and a legal document named a temporary guardianship form bound by the court. This document makes sure that the children left under the temporary guardianship is well taken care of. 

38+ Sample Temporary Guardianship Forms

What is a temporary guardianship form?

A temporary guardianship form is a document that is an important legal tool in protecting children. A child can live with someone else who is not his/her parent under a temporary guardianship. In the event of a situation of emergency, the responsible adult who takes the child can make significant decisions. The guardian has the responsibility to deal with circumstances and make decisions for the child, especially when it comes to educational concerns, health and well-being. This basically gives another adult authorization for a length of time to care for your child. Usually, a friend or relative is the one requesting guardianship. The guardian is responsible for the housing and medical care of the child. This is sometimes called as temporary custody letter.

Qualifications to be a Guardian

To ensure the safety of the child, there are certain qualifications for a guardian to be met. Below is the list of them.

Legal aged: The candidate must be an adult in law. While the laws of the State differ, this implies that the individual seeking legal guardianship is usually at least 18 years old.Sound mind: The candidate must be physically and mentally healthy, together with the availability or capacity of time needed to look after the childFinancially capable: The candidate must have the appropriate resources to satisfy the children’s needs. If this eligibility criteria is analyzed, courts frequently examine the resources of the legal guardian and the children’s resources. Some children are also eligible for government support.Strong moral and economic character: The candidate must have a strong moral and economic character. Since the legal guardian is responsible for the care of a child, the legal guardian generally has to prove that they are both economic and moral.Physically able: Incompetent young adults with a handicap due to severe impairment have no legal competence to petition for temporary guardianship because children needs ultimate care, handicapped people needs caring too and children do not have the capacity to do something for them.No felony convictions that involve threat or harm to a child: No conviction for specific crimes, such as crimes against minors, sexual offenses or other serious crime, must be associated on the applicants.

How to Accomplish a Temporary Guardianship Form

A temporary letter of guardianship is a legal document that must be appropriately drafted. Such a letter is commonly used by a single parent who has no co-parent to look after their children if a family member has to be gone for a period of time due to several reasons. However, there are also permanent guardianship letter templates found online if that is what you need.

Step 1: Choose a template or make one.

this article contains templates of blank temporary guardianship form you can download for your usage. Browse through the templates and choose which one you think is best for your needs. If you think the templates lack something, you can make your own through referencing from other templates and making your own structure with information you like to put.

Step 2: Choose who will be the guardian.

In your absence, a provisional guardian as a parent substitute. Think about who is best for your children. You will want to choose a person with whom you trust to look after your children competently—and whose judgment fits your own. Preferably, your kids also know and feel comfortable with that individual. This will probably be somebody with whom your kids spent a lot of time. A family or close acquaintance is often chosen to be a temporary guardian.

Step 3: Fill out the form.

Fill the printable temporary guardianship form or the customized form you made. Make sure it has all the important details such as your full name as the petitioner or the parent, your address, names of the children who’ll be in a temporary guardian, children’s birthdays, fill name of the temporary guardian, contact information of the guardians, statement of consent, notarization, signatures, and relevant dates such as the date of effect and expiry. Make it as understandable and clear as possible. Also state the reason why there is a need for a temporary guardianship.

Step 4: Parents must agree.

There are instances when the grandparents want to be temporary guardians of their grandchildren and submit petitions without asking the parents themselves. In this case, unless the parents agree, temporary custody cannot be granted by courts because the parents has to sign for their consent.

Step 5: Have it Notarized.

Temporary custody is a matter of law. If you wish to provide your child short-term care to another person, use a valid temporary guardianship form. Like most lawsuits, before submitting papers to the courts, it has to be a notarized letter of guardianship. Parents must also affix their signatures and the provisional custody arrangement must be noted. In the event where the other parent is either unknown, seems to have no legal rights or has died, the surviving parent would be sufficient to be signed.

Step 6: Submit to the court.

File the petition to the court and other necessary requirements. Attend the court hearing and make sure to answer the court’s questions about the petition. After all of these, the court will decide if your petition is accepted or not.

FAQs

How long is a temporary guardianship effective?

The temporary guardian assigned must act as the guardian of the minor for 6 months unless there is a short term in the written instrument appointing the guardian, or a term of 6 months after an incident happens. Every six months, temporary custody has to be renewed. If the custody is not renewed, the custody will be returned to the real parents.

Can anyone be a temporary guardian?

A temporary guardian may be relatives, grandparents, sisters, brother, foster parents, family friends or anyone who knows the child as long as that person is capable and meets the qualifications to be a temporary guardian.

Is temporary guardianship only for children?

No. Even though the context of temporary or permanent guardianship is very common in children, there are actually instances where an adult individual with mental disabilities or a condition with temporary disabilities makes it necessary for them too and the term for an adult’s guardian is conservative

Does a temporary guardianship form need to be notarized?

A temporary custody contract form must be completed and notarized in most states. It is a legal matter and it needs to be notarized before submitting it to the court for approval.

Even though you are busy, always make sure your kids get the best care that they deserve. As a single parent, it is understandable to need some help sometimes. The key is to choose the right people to take care of your children while you’re away. Ensure that you know your chosen temporary guardian and that they all qualify to be one. After all, If you’re done with your work before the form expires, you can have a termination of temporary guardianship form and have your kids back.