questions & answers

Question: About two months ago a friend dropped her three kids off with me and I have not seen or heard from them since I wanted to know if I could or should try to get emergency custody or can her rights be severed? The kids want to stay with me they are 8,4,&3 two boys and a girl not sure what to doffrom here

Answer: You may want to start with contacting Arizona Dept. of Child Safety (DES Office) to see what needs to occur for you to keep the children. They may require you to become a foster parent. Under A.R.S. § 8-871 a person may file for permanent guardianship of a child under certain circumstances. Information regarding the procedure for filing a motion for permanent guardianship can be found under A.R.S. § 8-872. One can find out more information on guardianship, the process for guardianship and the necessary forms through the local Superior Court. For Maricopa County, one can view the appropriate documents on the court's website (http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/JuvenileCourt/guardianship.asp). To find out how the law applies to a specific situation, contact an attorney directly.