Legal Question in Family Law in Virginia
My 16 year old niece was sent to live with my husband and me. We have a notorized form granting us guardianship, however, to enroll her in school, we are told that we need to have legal guardianship or custody. What steps do I need to take to obtain this?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Get a valid order from the appropriate Virginia court grantng you custody of this
girl or guardianship over her.
First, you need the parents notarized signature on an appointment of temporary guardianship, then you need to draft an agreed court order and submit it to the juvenile and domestic relations district court for the court to sign the order. Once entered you need to get a certified copy of the order to submit to the school. Now, keep in mind, depending on the county, having guardianship is usually sufficient for enrollment but some counties also require you to demonstrate that the parents are unable to care for the child.