What is co-guardianship?
A co-guardianship is a shared guardianship between two people or entities, such as two grandparents. Sometimes, a family member (or other appropriate person) has a co-guardianship with the Department of Social Services, which is treated as joint custody between the grandparent and Social Services. All decisions must be made jointly. This method is most often used when a child has been involved in a dependency and neglect case and is not available for adoption but will not be returning to the parents. In some cases, Social Services will pay foster care payment to the grandparent during this arrangement. Many counties refuse this type of arrangement. If grandparents are interested in this approach in cases in which Social Services is involved, they should contact their grandchild’s caseworker.