What is a legal guardianship?
A legal guardianship is a court order that makes an adult other than a parent responsible for the care of a child. A legal guardian has many of the same rights and responsibilities as a parent, such as deciding where the child will live, enrolling the child in school, and making health-care decisions. How is guardianship different from adoption? Guardianship is not the same as adoption. It does not cut off the child s ties to the parents forever. Guardianship just changes the custody of the child from the parents to the guardian. The child and the parents are still legally related. The parents still have a legal duty to support the child financially. The child can still inherit money and/or receive social security benefits from the parents. Guardianship can last until the child becomes an adult at age 18. However, the court can end a guardianship and return the child to the parents or appoint a new guardian. The court can also order visitation with the parents or other relatives as par
