One of the most stressful
situations that a potential guardian must endure is when their home
is investigated. The court will have the home of potential
legal guardians inspected in order to ensure that the home is a safe
environment for the child to occupy.

The investigations assess
guardians’ ability to provide the child with food, shelter, clothing, and other
basic necessities. It will allow the court to gain insight into the home of the
potential guardian, and the investigators will note any characteristics of the
environment that would not be suitable for a child. The investigator will be
keeping an eye out for any aspect of the environment that may be detrimental to
the child or the child’s health. They will be on the lookout for any form of
hazardous or illegal substances that are being kept in the house.

The home investigation will
also evaluate the relationship between potential guardians and their current
family. The investigators will observe whether or not potential guardians are
close with their family and whether or not the family appears to be loving and
supportive. They will seek to uncover whether or not this guardian would be
able to provide a stable environment for the child.

The investigator will be a trained professional who has experience
dealing with people and understanding what type of environment is suitable for
a child. Once the investigation is complete, a report will be created and given
to the judge. The judge will take this report into consideration when
determining whether the proposed guardian would be an adequate guardian for the
child.

The judge will be required to
decide whether residing with the potential guardian and being raised by him/her
would be in the child’s best interest. The home investigation can greatly sway the decision of the
judge and an unsatisfactory home investigation may ruin potential guardian’s
chance at receiving custody of a child.

If you have filed for legal guardianship of a
minor and must undergo a home investigation, there are some things that you
should keep in mind. First, never lie to an investigator; always be honest. If
they uncover that you have lied, it will be extremely destructive to your case.
Remain calm. Although this may be a very stressful process, the investigator is
just trying to become acquainted with you, your family and your home in order
to determine if this would be an appropriate environment for a child to live in.
It is the home investigator’s responsibility to help ensure that the child is
being placed in a safe environment. 

The process of becoming a legal
guardian is detailed and may appear complicated and overwhelming. The
application process for filing for guardianship of a minor or a disabled adult begins when the individual who is seeking
guardianship obtains and completes guardianship forms. The petitioner must
complete these forms, which will ask for information about both the petitioner
and the individual for whom they are seeking guardianship.

The forms will ask simple
personal information about both parties, such as their names, addresses, and
birth dates. The petitioner will also be required to illustrate the reason why
it is in the individual’s best interest to be placed in their care. The
petitioner must return the guardianship forms to the County Clerk’s Office,
along the the filing fee.

The petitioner should keep in
mind that the initial filing fee is only the first of the costs that they will
be required to pay when they are petitioning for custody. The petitioner will be required to pay legal fees if they
choose to enlist the assistance of an attorney. The individual who is seeking to obtain legal guardianship
of a minor should also take into consideration the long term costs associated
with caring for a child.

Once the guardianship papers have been filed, there can be a
processing period that lasts from six to eight weeks. This may be dependent on
a variety of factors, including the judges’ availability, the type of guardianship that is being petitioned for, and any other
complicated factors that may be present during a specific case.

If the parents of the child
choose to dispute the establishment of a guardianship, then the time that it
takes to appoint a guardian may be longer due to the investigation that will
need to take place. The petitioner will be required to present the court with
evidence that the parents of the child are not adequately caring for the child
and that it would be in the child’s best interest to be removed from the care
of their parents. The judge will analyze evidence and testimonies in order to
decide what will be the best course of action for the child.

The petitioner should also prepare themselves for the home
investigation, which will take place in order to ensure that the
petitioner is a suitable guardian for the minor. This investigation will be
used in order to determine whether the petitioner is able to provide the child
with a safe and stable environment in which to live and mature. A home
investigation may include interviewing the other individuals who live in the
petitioner’s home in order to determine the relationship the petitioner has
with their family and to ensure that it is a loving and supportive environment.

Once all of
these steps have been completed and the judge is confident that the petitioner
can provide the child with adequate care and support, then the petitioner will
receive guardianship rights to the child. The petitioner will also receive all
of the responsibilities that come with caring for the child.