Temporary guardianship occurs when an adult takes legal responsibility for a minor child who is not his or her own. In order for guardianship to be considered temporary, the adult must be legally responsible for the child for less than six months. Temporary guardianship may be established without going to court. A child's parent may sign an agreement naming another adult as his or her child's temporary guardian. For example, a parent who is going on active duty in the military, or who will be stationed for a short period of time overseas, may choose to sign an agreement naming a grandparent, relative, or family friend temporary guardian of his or her child. Because a temporary guardian isn't permanently responsible for the child in his or her care and was not ordered by a court to be a guardian, doctors may refuse to treat the child and schools may refuse to admit the child to classes without a parent's consent. For this reason, some states have enacted a law that allows schools and medical providers to accept a Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit from a temporary guardian. This allows the temporary guardian to take full responsibility for a child.
