Get the answers to frequently asked questions about Florida guardianship by parents who have children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

I recently had the privilege to do a presentation for 50 parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

We kept track of the most frequently asked questions about getting Florida Guardianship for a child with a developmental or intellectual disability, and put together a convenient FAQ.

You can see the entire FAQ on this page.

In this FAQ, you will find the answers to the following questions:

• What is guardianship?
• How does getting guardianship protect my child’s health?
• Do you file for guardianship before or after your child turns 18?
• Should I hire an attorney to file for guardianship, or do it on my own?
• If I don’t get guardianship, can my child just “opt out” of medical care?
• Is Guardianship the same as getting power-of-attorney?
• How long does it take to get guardianship?
• If I am guardian, what happens to my child if I die?
• Can a sibling be an “alternate” guardian if something happens to me?
• Can both parents be guardians?
• My child has a “low IQ” but has no diagnosis, can I still use the expedited guardian advocate process?
• If I don’t get guardianship, can my child move out on her own?
• Am I doing the right thing for my child by getting guardianship?

See our new Florida Guardianship FAQ here.