A Probate Guardianship is when the Court appoints an adult who is not the child’s parent to take care of the child and/or the child’s property.
Probate Court can only grant a Probate Guardianship if the child is not involved in a Family Court or Juvenile Court action.
About Guardianships
There are two kinds of Probate Guardianship: Guardianship of the Person and Guardianship of the Estate. Read about the differences, and more general guardianship info.
Are You Ready?
This page answers questions such as: Do you want legal responsibility for the child? How will the guardianship affect you? Your finances? Will there be problems with the child's relatives?
Becoming a Guardian
This page has a lot of information about what you need to do to become a child's guardian in California if the child does not have a parent who can act as parent to the child.
Guardianship Checklist
Establishing a Guardianship is complicated. The basic steps are listed on this page, along with suggestions for getting help.
Guardianship Duties
After you become guardian, you have most of the same legal duties and responsibilities as a parent. What happens after the hearing?
Guardianship Forms
To establish a Guardianship of the Person or the Estate, you need the forms are are linked and can be downloaded from this page.
Guardianship vs Adoption
Read about some important differences between guardianship and adoption.
How to End Guardianships
Find out when a guardianship ends, if you can resign, and what the Court's role is in ending a guardianship.
Pros and Cons
More things to consider, including whether you can act as a child’s caretaker without being the guardian.