Rule 1-155 Appointment of guardian.

When a judge decides someone should become a child's guardian, the court gives that person official paperwork called "letters of guardianship." This paperwork spells out that the guardian now has the same authority a parent would have. The only thing a guardian cannot do is consent to the child being adopted. If the court decides a parent should keep certain rights, those specific rights must be written clearly in the guardian's paperwork.

This rule also controls how these cases are labeled on court documents. If the Children, Youth and Families Department is involved in the case, the court must protect the child's privacy. Any paperwork that might be seen by outsiders, including the letters of guardianship, can only use the child's initials and the case number. It cannot include the department's name or other details that could identify the child.

If the department is not involved in the case, the labeling works a little differently. The case still uses the child's initials to protect their identity, but it must also name the actual people involved, meaning whoever filed the case (the petitioner) and whoever the case was filed against (the respondents).