guardianship

[mcmarti06]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee.

I would like to know what do I need to do to get guardianship of my 14yr old niece who lives in CA. Her mom is ok with her living with me, they are struggling much financially and I can offer a better home, neighborhood, school, then were she lives now. My niece also agrees to coming to live with me. Both her mom and I agree that its in my niece's best interest that we remove her from the surroundings she's in right now. My brother is not on the birth certificate because he denied her at birth (he was 16yrs and stupid) so her mom has sole custody of my niece. We do not know what to do or were to go or even what documents we need and how much is the cost for this process. I would like to do this soon so I can have her ready for the new school year. I thank you in advance for any advice you can give us to get us headed in the right direction.

 

[mistoffolees]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee.

I would like to know what do I need to do to get guardianship of my 14yr old niece who lives in CA. Her mom is ok with her living with me, they are struggling much financially and I can offer a better home, neighborhood, school, then were she lives now. My niece also agrees to coming to live with me. Both her mom and I agree that its in my niece's best interest that we remove her from the surroundings she's in right now. My brother is not on the birth certificate because he denied her at birth (he was 16yrs and stupid) so her mom has sole custody of my niece. We do not know what to do or were to go or even what documents we need and how much is the cost for this process. I would like to do this soon so I can have her ready for the new school year. I thank you in advance for any advice you can give us to get us headed in the right direction.

You may not need legal guardianship. You will certainly need a power of attorney document for visiting the doctor, etc. Then figure out what you need for the school. Some schools will require that you have formal guardianship while others will accept POA.

But, frankly, you are taking on an enormous responsibility. There is a great deal of risk to you as well as to the child. What happens when the kid turns 16 and has an auto accident? or gets into some other trouble?

You are doing yourself a disservice by trying to do this on the cheap. Go see an attorney and have the documents drafted correctly. If Mom is in agreement, it shouldn't be that complicated or expensive.

The wild card is Dad. He can probably object if he wishes.