Planning For a Crisis When You Have Minor Children
Planning for a crisis is critical when you have minor children. While every adult needs their own incapacity plan—a financial power of attorney and a patient advocate designation, at the very least—minor children also need these documents in case their parents or guardians cannot care for them temporarily.
Powers of Attorney for Minor Children
Temporary Power of Attorney for Care and Custody
In Michigan, a temporary power of attorney for care and custody can be effective for 6 months before a guardianship proceeding is required. These documents provide the names and contact information for the adults that first responders should call to pick children up and take physical custody of them, whether kids are at school, at the police station, or at the hospital.
Temporary Patient Advocate for Minor Children
Medical providers need parental consent for medical treatment and will not provide non-emergency treatment when a parent or guardian is not present to give consent. When parents are unavailable to give consent—whether it is because their phone has died and they are unaware of the emergency or because they are undergoing emergency surgery themselves—children may wait unnecessarily to receive the care they need. A temporary patient advocate can give consent for medical treatment when parents are unavailable.
At Treetown Law, we are mothers and we are serious about making sure our kids are well-cared-for in a crisis. We not only create temporary powers for the minor children of our clients, but we also make sure they can be effectively located and deployed in a crisis. To that end, we provide three color copies of the documents in envelopes labeled IN CASE OF EMERGENCY for our clients’ vehicle glove compartments and fridge or other prominent place at home. We mail these emergency documents to the people named in them (with client permission) and we upload these documents onto an emergency wallet card that parents can carry with them at all times. We also include language so that the temporary powers can be used during planned periods of absence, such as a parental getaway.
At Treetown Law, we plan for your family like we plan for our own. Contact us today to get started!
