questions & answers

Question: My younger cousin who calls me aunt has been arrested And cps has gotten involved. Although her daughter has already been living here for 6 months they say I need guardianship of the child and need it by the next day or they will have no choice but to take guardianship of her while they say she can still live with me. My question is would it be easier to get the child's mother (and legal ) to sign over guardianship or to go through the courts which is going to cost me 350$ and will take weeks to get a court date?

Answer: Under A.R.S. § 8-871 a person may file for permanent guardianship of a child under certain circumstances. Information regarding the procedure for filing a motion for permanent guardianship can be found under A.R.S. § 8-872. One can find out more information on guardianship, the process for guardianship and the necessary forms through the local Superior Court. For Maricopa County, one can view the appropriate documents on the court's website (http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/JuvenileCourt/guardianship.asp). To find out how the law applies to a specific situation, contact an attorney directly.