My sister is sending her almost 15 year old daughter to live with me. What type of paperwork do I need in order to enroll her in school and seek medical care for her? They live in Arizona and I live in NY.

Thank you for your suggestions

They need to sign over temporary guardianship to you. It would be best to get an attorney to draw up the paperwork and have it ratified by a court.

Legal custody is a similar status to guardianship, but is usually bestowed by a different court that has different procedures. Guardianship is usually granted by a probate court, whereas a family court grants legal custody. Also, the status of "guardian" may often facilitate access to more services and rights than "legal custodian."


Guardianship of a child means that a caregiver is responsible for the care and custody of the child. This "guardianship" designation allows the caregiver to access services on behalf of the child that without such a designation might prove impossible.