If a child is staying with you for a short amount of time, such as a few weeks or months, you won’t need guardianship. You will need to get legal guardianship over a child if you plan to care for the child for a period of years. If you don’t, you may have trouble arranging medical care or enrolling the child in school. If you do not think the child’s parents are able to care for the child properly or you think the parents want the child back, you have no right to keep the child.
