New York Petition - Appointment of Guardian of Person

To appoint legal guardians for your children, you must name them as your chosen guardians in your Will. Before doing this you will need to approach the people you would like to appoint as guardians to find out whether they are willing and able to take on this responsibility.

EXPLANATION OF A PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN(S) A guardianship may be needed if someone cannot take care of him/herself and/or his/her property. The person who needs assistance is the proposed ward. If guardianship is granted, that person will be the ward.

You can establish guardianship of a child by filing papers in court. Initially, file a petition stating your interest in obtaining guardianship along with a filing fee. You'll also want to file a letter of consent from the child's parents.

A guardianship case can be started by filing paperwork called "Petition for Appointment of Guardian" in the county where the child lives. This paper work can be filed in either Surrogate's Court or the Family Court. Both Surrogate's Court and Family Court can appoint a guardian of the person for a child.

You can write a letter naming a guardian for your children and keep it with your important papers or write in your will who you want to be the guardian of your children when you pass away. But if both parents are dead, the court will decide who the guardian is. The court will try to appoint the person you wanted.

Can this process be done more quickly? In an emergency, the court can appoint a temporary healthcare guardian for 90 days, or an emergency guardian for 15 days. Click here for a petition to be appointed a 15-day emergency guardian. You can fill out the form online, but you will still need to file it with the court.

A: From the time that the petition for guardianship is filed, it may take up to four months for the guardianship to be granted. The amount of time depends on the proper notice to relatives and a completed investigation, by the court, as to the appropriateness of the guardianship.

The names of the forms are usually: Petition for Appointment of Guardian (or Petition for Appointment of Guardian of Minor) Petition for Conservatorship (when dealing with an incompetent adult) Order Appointing Guardian.

To do this, the person you nominate will need to file a Petition for Appointment of Guardian with the Probate Court, notify certain persons and agencies, and attend a court hearing. Although the probate court will take into account your wishes, other people will also have the opportunity to request guardianship.