What is the difference between legal guardianship and adoption?

Question

Or does it mean the same thing? I am trying to get custody of a relative who is in foster care.

Answer 1

legal guardianship is more legal than having custody but not as permanent as adoption. In guardianship you have all the rights of a parent but the birth certificate doesn't change and the child may have contact with the bio parent (if allowed by guardian and cps). There is temp. guardianship and permanent guardianship. Permanent is normally expexted to be till they are 18.Guardianship is for when all resources have been used to reunite the family and at this point the parents will almost never be able to get custody back.

Answer 2

Legal guardianship can be changed.  Adoption, once final, normally can't.  

Which you choose to do depends on many factors.  If the child is over 10, it is really up to the child if they want to be adopted or not.  Sometimes they do. Sometimes not.  

Many folks on Social Security who have custody of their grandchildren have to face this choice.  In some cases, they adopt the child in order to get the child on Social Security.

Answer 3

legal guardian is just that you have legal responsibility of the child such as food ,house ,money .  you must prove where any monies has gone   for the welfare of the child.  adoption is you become the parent  as if you had given birth to them

Answer 4

Overall, legal guardianship means that you are the guardian for either a temporary or long term relationship, and adoption is where all old parental rights, rights of the state (unless future abuse problems, etc), are terminated, and you become the official parents, even on the birth certificate, and it is considered forever.  When a guardianship ends, such as if the child turns 18, things like heirship, the rights to sign for medical care in the case where the other person can't cannot happen, because there is legally, no permanent relationship, because of the guardianship.

Answer 5

Adoption means the child formally becomes your child, with all legal rights and responsibilities and permanancy.  A legal gaurdian has some rights, but in the end a legal guardian can easily lose custody.  Guardianshiop is considered for children who need that contact with their parents, or to keep it open for parents to come back when tehy are ready.

Answer 6

well legal guardianship is when a parent dies

Answer 7

legal gaurdianship is like you have the child and take care of it but the real parents get to see them too and adoption the child is all yours.

Answer 8

Legal guardianship involves taking on the legal responsibility for a minor child or an impaired adult and making decisions regarding their living arrangements and financial upkeep. They retain their own name and may or may not live with you. This arrangement is usually in place until a child becomes an adult at 18 to 21 years of age or it can be extended for longer periods depending on the courts review. The person is free to contest this arrangement with a lawyer and you may never see the person if that is what has been arranged.

Adoption entails the above responsibilities but allows the child to become your legal child, take your last name, and inherit property should you die, just as it would any naturally born children that you have. You become that childs parent and that is forever.

Answer 9

Legal guardianship is temporary...it can be rescinded at anytime with minimal effort.  Adoption makes you the legal parent of someone.

It does not mean the same thing at all.  In an adoption you can make all decisions unquestioned as the parent....in guardianship there are more hoops to jump through.

Answer 10

I believe Legal Guardian has the legal right to take care of the child, cloth, feed etc but the child still carries his/her surname from their natural parents. And a legal guardian could be temporary or permanant.

Adoption the child takes the parent surname and the rest is the same as if they were their parents.