If you are grandparents raising grandchildren and you are the sole provider for a child, or children, you may not be able to do certain things like enroll them in school, or even take them to the doctor. If your grandchild is ever involved in an accident, you may not have the authority to sign for a surgery and this can waste precious time if your grandchild is hurt. If you do not have contact with the parents of your grandchildren, you may need to contact an attorney and see what rights you have to be able to make important decisions about this child you are raising.
You may need to file for temporary or even permanent guardianship of this child and you will then be able to make decisions regarding a grandparent raising children. You will be able to enroll them in school, and you will also have access to their records which may be very important if you move. If you have a job and health insurance, you will want to find out from an attorney what you need to do to get any children in your care on this insurance.
You should educate yourself fully on grandparent’s rights and this can make a big difference in your end results. My book No Greater Loss goes into great detail about these issues.
You may not realize that you have more rights then what you originally thought and it may be up to you to be an advocate for your grandchildren so that they have the stability they require in their lives. If you have taken your grandchildren away from a neglectful parent, you may need to act very quickly to secure your rights to your grandchildren and ensure their safety.
