Considering Guardianship for a Child in Need
Are you thinking that you might need to take guardianship of a child? My name is Carl Birkhead. I’m a family lawyer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ve been doing family law for about seven years. I’m with Wirth Law Office and I want to help you understand what a guardianship is, the different types of guardianships, and how they can get dissolved.
A guardianship is basically when you are stepping in on behalf of the parent and assuming custody of a child to make sure that the child is, you know, cared for, and that their health and well-being are protected. You do not get custodial rights. You are not the parent. The parent keeps their rights as far as, you know, legally being the parent of these kids.
Types of Guardianships
But just as a day-to-day type thing, you are the one that has physical custody of the child. You’re the one who’s making those decisions for the child. You are the one that is, you know, taking them to school, enrolling them in sports, taking them to the doctor, things like that. You have all the responsibilities of a parent.
A guardianship can happen in one of two ways. You can either have a situation where a parent can sense that guardianship is needed. Basically, the parent is saying, I’m not in a good place. I really need you to take my kid for a little bit. Let me go to rehab. Let me, you know, get my head on straight. It’s never meant, no guardianship is ever meant to be permanent.
Dissolving a Guardianship
The only difference really comes down to how long those guardianships stay in place. So if the parents consent to the guardianship, we’re hoping that it’s going to be a relatively quick turnaround. The parent’s going to be able to come back. Those guardianships are dissolved or ended when that parent withdraws their consent.
The other type is a guardianship of necessity. This is something where if you’re on the outside of a situation looking in, you’re saying, man, these kids aren’t really taken care of. They’re not, you know, being fed. They’re being mistreated. Abuse might be involved. We must take care of these kids, to remove them from this situation, and to become their guardians.
Contact Us for Help
If you find yourself in a situation where you think that you need to become the guardian of a child, whether it’s because a parent has reached out and asked you, or because you think that a situation requires it, please feel free to call us at 918-879-1681. You can contact me at Wirth Law Office. My name is Carl Birkhead, and I’m happy to help. Thank you.
