Integrity Document Services Makes The Conservatorship Process Easier for Families

For parents, experiencing their kids transitioning into adulthood comes with many emotions. For families of children with special needs, the experience is no less bittersweet but comes with its own set of complications when their child reaches the age of 18.

At 18, they become legal adults, making it more difficult for parents to make decisions on their behalf. This can be especially challenging for families caring for a child with severe disabilities that limit their ability to communicate or live independently.

To help manage their child’s affairs, they may turn to the court system for a conservatorship. A conservatorship allows parents or other trusted adults close to the child to be appointed legal representatives with authority to make decisions regarding the child’s personal and financial needs. This includes managing healthcare appointments, housing arrangements, and daily choices a parent would typically make for their child.

Conservatorship can be an emotionally taxing journey, and it’s essential for families to be prepared and have the right resources and knowledgeable professionals in their corner to help navigate the process. Integrity Document Services in Shasta County provides help to families seeking to establish a conservatorship for their loved ones.

Integrity Document Services fills a need for families

Jacqueline Greene, a Legal Document Assistant, started Integrity Document Services six years ago after working in the legal sector for several years. There, she saw the need for more personalized service for those dealing with high-emotion scenarios such as family law and conservatorships and guardianships and adoptions.

Jacqueline also has experience as a teacher’s assistant working with children with special needs; and she understands how to help families navigate the complicated conservatorship process.

From making sure requests for paperwork from doctors are sent in a timely manner, to being flexible with appointments for families, Jacqueline strives to ensure her clients have as little as possible to worry about.

One of her favorite parts of the job is meeting the people she’s helping. A part of the process is having documents served on the conservatee, and she offers to take care of this for families: “I say, ‘Well, if you’re up to it, you can just swing by the office, you don’t even have to get your person in and out of the car.’ I will come out to the parking lot. I’d be happy to meet them and serve them.” She says doing this “kind of blesses me because then I get to meet the people I’m helping.”

It’s important to have help with the legal process

Conservatorship can be a complex legal process. Having help from someone familiar with the laws and procedures can ensure that the paperwork is completed correctly and on time to avoid any delays or complications.

Having help with legal paperwork can also provide peace of mind, knowing that an experienced professional is handling the legal side of the process. This can be especially important for families of kids with disabilities, since the day-to-day life of caring for someone with complex needs is already demanding. Having someone to assist with the complexities of the conservatorship process allows parents and guardians to focus on caring for their child without having extra worries.

Be proactive about conservatorship and start early

For families wishing to pursue a conservatorship for their child, the process typically starts when the child is 17 and a half. Because of the wait times for the necessary documents and processing paperwork, Jacqueline recommends starting the process no later than 3-4 months before the child turns 18.

This timing is essential, because once the child turns 18, parents will not have access to information vital to their care, such as medical records. Jacque says she has worked with clients who somehow fell through the cracks and were left scrambling after the fact.

She describes situations where people had been cared for by their family doctor well into adulthood, where the doctor “just continued letting the parents kind of make the decisions.” The problems arose when that person had to be referred to a specialist or see a new family doctor who could only communicate with their families with a conservatorship in place.

“So, they’re kind of trying to backtrack,” explains Jacqueline, and scramble to try and get all the paperwork in order so their loved one won’t have an interruption in services.

Misconceptions about conservatorship

Jacqueline says one of the big misconceptions about conservatorship is that families must have an attorney to navigate the process. While some cases certainly warrant a lawyer, more straightforward cases can be handled by Legal Document Assistants (LDA). LDAs are authorized to prepare legal documents for self-represented parties at their direction. LDAs are not attorneys and may not give legal advice or represent parties. One thing Jacqueline does not assist with is conservatorship over a person’s estate.

People are often unsure about whether they should seek conservatorship or guardianship, because the terms are often used interchangeably. Jacqueline explains, that guardianships are for underage individuals and generally refer to a minor being cared for by someone other than their biological parents.

If you’re considering conservatorship for your child and have questions or want more information about Integrity Document Services, visit integritydocumentservices.com or call (530) 410-6844.