Responsibilities of guardian

[cloudchaos]

Can anyone help me with the responsibilities of a testamentary guardian who will have parental responsibility?

I've been asked by a friend to take on this role and they seem to believe it doesn't hold much responsibility above and beyond signing medical and school forms. But what I'm finding online seems to suggest this is not the case so I was hoping someone might be able to advise me.

Who would be financially responsible for the child too? There will be other guardians with parental responsibility named in the will but no existing parent or person with PR prior to this friends death. One of the guardians will have residency the others will not. The parent on her death will have no money or assets to pass on so who would be responsible legally for the upkeep of the child?

Also if the child didn't attend school would all those with PR be responsible and fined/legally responsible, or just the guardian they live with?

Thanks for any help you can give.

No obligation to do anything as testamentary guardian. You’d simply have the power to make decisions. You would bear no financial responsibility.

Thank you for your reply Collaborate.

Who would be responsible in that case then for costs related to maintaining the child?

The person the child lives with would be responsible for the costs of maintaining the child.

Theoretically the council can fine everyone with PR for non-attendance at school. In practice a guardian with whom the child does not live is unlikely to get fined.

Thanks prh47

I guess I'm struggling to understand why you'd even have additional guardians if it seems like they have no duties or official responsibilities? Why not just have the one guardian the child lives with?

I'm struggling to find much online at all about a situation where you have multiple guardians with PR. It seems very confusing.

Our children’s grandparents are the guardians in our wills. We don’t expect the kids to live with them, but we do expect them to make the right decision about where and with whom the children will live in the event of our deaths.