Legal Guardianship

Whether your legal guardianship need involves minor children or elderly parents, Page Law can guide you through the process. A guardianship may be needed in the case a child no longer has a legal parent-child relationship. In this case, a legal guardian may be appointed, with the child as a “ward.” Most often, this guardianship may be established following cases of child abuse, neglect, or the ward-child being labeled a Person In Need of Supervision (PINS).

Types of Guardianship

Legal guardianship may be established for different types of situations, all of which involve a person legally deemed unable to care for him or herself. Guardianship may be granted for a minor child, a special needs or otherwise incapacitated adult or an older adult no longer able to care for themselves. Guardianship may be:

• For the child or adult individual
• For the person’s estate
• For the person and estate
• Temporary guardianship

Responsibilities of the Legal Guardian

A legal guardian is expected to maintain all of the same responsibilities as a capable parent would be, including providing a safe place for the ward to live, regular meals, a caring, loving environment, etc. Depending on the age and at-risk level of the ward, a guardian’s specific responsibilities may be different than those of a normal parent. Delinquent or PINS wards may require a higher level of supervision or to be chaperoned. The Handbook for Guardians for the Clark County court system outlines the basic requirements that a Guardian must comply by. These guidelines also state that guardians are required to file a report annually with the court, in order to properly display competence as a parental substitute/supplement. These reports include assessments of the ward’s physical and mental health, as well as other criteria such as immunization status (for minors) and progress in school. The legal procedure for establishing guardianship over a ward is a lengthy process, best done with the assistance of a family law-specialized attorney such as Fred Page at the Page Law.