“I need to protect my granddaughter,” said the woman on the phone.
She was directed to the LAS Guardianship Advocate and an appointment
was scheduled for later in the week.
LAS handled 157 guardianship cases in
2007.
Mrs. Laslo has been raising her granddaughter, Emma, since she was a
year old. Emma’s parents are unstable, in and out of prison and
involved with drugs. Between them they have nine children, all living
with other caregivers. Recently, Emma’s mother had been calling Mrs.
Laslo and threatening to take five-year old Emma away. Then one day,
she walked into Mrs. Laslo’s home unannounced and tried to grab Emma
from her arms. Since then Mrs. Laslo has been afraid to let Emma go to
school in case Emma’s mother showed up and tried to take her. Because
she wanted her granddaughter to be able to go to school safely, she
decided to pursue a guardianship. She contacted Family Support Services
of the Bay Area (FSSBA) who referred her to LAS.
When Mrs. Laslo first contacted LAS, there were warrants out for the
arrests of both of Emma’s parents. Because Emma was in immediate
danger, our staff attorney was able to obtain a temporary guardianship.
With the temporary guardianship in place, Mrs. Laslo could send Emma to
school knowing that the school would not release the girl to her
mother.
When the hearing on the petition for permanent guardianship took
place several months later, our attorney represented Mrs. Laslo at the
hearing, and the court granted permanent guardianship. The court also
required that future visits with the parents be supervised.
Emma is now well protected and growing up with
her loving grandmother in the only home she has ever known.
Guardianship at LAS
Our guardianship program was designed to assist Alameda County
residents over 50 years of age who are caring for minor relatives
living with them; children who have been the victims of abuse, have
witnessed traumatizing violence and/or have been abandoned.
This program is important to the community, because it keeps
families together and children out of the foster care system. Living
with a relative caregiver provides each child with a safe, loving
home—frequently the only stability these children have ever known. Our
staff work to protect legal rights and help families find support
programs and public benefits to which they are entitled to ensure the
best possible environment for the caregivers and the children in their
care.
LAS handled 157 guardianship cases in 2007. The need is great, and
few, if any, legal aid programs serving low-income people offer
assistance in this area. The funding LAS receives from City and County
sources allows for services to individuals over the age of 60.
Approximately 58% of our clients in this program are under 60 years of
age; therefore, we must raise funds from private foundations and
personal donations to cover the costs of providing services to
them.
Volunteer! Health Insurance Counselor training on May 14th
