questions & answers

Question: My son wants me to help him with custody of his baby under a year old and unborn baby. He is not married to the mother. He is on the birth certificate of the first born.The reason he is asking me to help is he has a long history of being in trouble with the law and is currentl on adult probabtion. He is currently working and doing good, but knows the courts would frown on his past. Would the courts consider giving me tempory guardianship or help with the custody. The mother is threating to move out of state with the kids, so my son wants to know his rights andif he has any from preventing that

Answer: Any person interested in the welfare of a minor may petition the court for appointment of a Title 14 guardian. A guardian may be appointed when someone other than the parent wants to be appointed by the court to take over parental responsibilities, such as decisions regarding housing, medical care, and education. If you are in Maricopa or Pima County, you may go to the Superior Court's Self Service Desk to get the forms for guardianship, or you may go to the website: https://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/SuperiorCourt/JuvenileCourt/guardianship.asp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney.