Guardianship

What is a guardian?

This is defined by the law. Parents are in most cases automatically a child's guardian. Other people can become guardians by:

• Being appointed a testamentary guardian in a parent's will.
• Appointment by parents if approved by the Family Court.
• Being appointed by the Court after application.

A child can have more than one guardian, and they may include parents and any number of other people. In some cases the Family or High Court may become the guardian of a child.

Guardianship Responsibilities

A guardian's responsibilities to a child include -

• Providing day-to-day care for the child.
• Contributing to the child's development as a person. In different ways, and at different stages of a child's life, guardians help children build a life for themselves, so they can learn about the world and their culture, make friends, achieve goals, cope with setbacks, and all the other things that growing up involves.
• Helping make the big decisions in a child's life.  These include important things like -
  - where they live and go to school
  - major medical treatment
  - what their culture, language and religion will be
  - any changes to their name

Who may be appointed a guardian?

• You may be a grandparent who wants to be appointed as a guardian for a grandchild.
• You may want to have your new partner appointed a guardian of your child from a previous relationship.