Generally there are several ways to make the care of your grandchild legal.
a) Formal Kinship Care
This option allows you to raise your grandchildren in the foster care system. In this arrangement you will receive some financial assistance, however, the state will have legal custody of your grandchild and will make all the decisions concerning the child and may remove the child from your care at will.
b) Adoption
If you decide to adopt you will become the child’s parent. The natural parent will not be able to make any decisions for the child and will not be able to take the child away.
c) Legal Guardianship
This option allows you to make some decisions for the child, however, the natural parent still has some rights. At any time the parents can return to court and ask the judge to end the guardianship, although some states have permanent guardianships which are harder to break.
D) Legal custody
Legal custody is similar to guardianship but has different rules. A guardian in one state may have more rights than someone with legal custody so make sure if you are considering these two options to have a qualified attorney in your state explain the pros and cons of each.
When it comes to raising your grandchildren you do not have to go it alone there are many sources available to you. Here are just a few of them.
1. The GIC Voice is a free newsletter available from AARP. www.aarp.org/families/grandparents/raising_grandchild/a2004-01-20-gicvoicenewsletter.html
2. The following web site deals specifically with the issue of grandparents raising their grandkids —Raising Your Grandchildren www.raisingyourgrandchildren.com).
3. The following national organizations also offer useful information and resources.
a) AARP Grandparent Information Center
601 E. Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20049
(202) 434-2296
b) National Coalition of Grandparents and Grandparent’s United for Children’s Rights
137 Larkin Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53705
(608) 238-8751
c) Raising Our Children’s Kids: An Intergenerational
Network of Grandparent, Inc. (ROCKING)
P. O. Box 96
Niles, MI 49102
(616) 683-9038