There are many happy reasons to appoint a guardian for a child in Connecticut. New adoptions create a stable environment for a newly expanded family. Relatives getting a turn at caring for children over long periods of time often enjoy the experience.
There are also a few bitter or difficult reasons to become or require a guardian. One of them is when a parent is gone, and there is no clear responsibility among other relatives on who must put a roof over children’s heads and feed them as well as tend to education or health care.
Temporary guardianships can be the solution while details are worked out or parents are located. The recent tragic disappearance of a mother of five from New Canaan required quick action by the probate court. The woman and her ex-husband had already been embroiled in a custody battle over the children at the time of her disappearance.
The vanished woman’s mother filed a petition to be awarded temporary custody of the children, although the court declined it. The court appointed a temporary guardian, who reported to the court after visiting the children that they were safe. Temporary guardians are often able to manage children’s basic needs while custody arrangements or conflicts regarding them are resolved.
People interested in the well-being of children in their community may have the standing to be a temporary guardian. An attorney can help with initials claims in probate court or subsequent hearings, in which temporary guardianship may become permanent. Probate courts are open to all parties, but a lawyer may make the experience more successful.