Child Safeguard Plan

Описание: Child Safeguard Plans are important for families. Attorney Bennie Wall discusses how the Zaremba Center can help.

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Hi, I’m Bennie Wall with the Zaremba Center.

I want to talk with you today about Child Safeguard Planning.

What is a Child Safeguard Plan?

A Child Safeguard Plan is a planning tool specifically designed to ensure that your children are well cared for when you no longer can.

How does it work?

A Child Safeguard Plan consists of a series of legal, informative and educational documents designed to ensure that whoever you choose to care for your children during your incapacity or after your death will effortlessly assume the role of caregiver. These documents will be put together in a central portfolio where your named guardian can access these document and empower, instruct and inform her as to the best care for your children.

When would you need a Child Safeguard Plan? Well, in an ideal world, you would never need such a plan. Unfortunately, we live in reality. You should have this plan in place if you have a minor child, regardless of his or her age. This plan is designed with the worst case scenarios in mind to ensure that if the time ever came, your child’s fate would not be in the hands of the government.

How would a Child Safeguard Plan protect your children?

A Child Safeguard Plan is designed to ensure that someone you trust is empowered to take care of your children when you no longer can. For example, if you and your husband are in a car accident and both are unconscious in the hospital, who will take care of your children while you recover? How will they fund your children’s needs? Will the government institutions, schools or doctors allow that person to make important decisions regarding your child?

A well-drafted Child Safeguard Plan would ensure that a person you trust can take custody of your children rather than social services or random relatives and that this person can make any decisions that you could make on behalf of your children—including enrollment in school or school related activities, treatment by a physician and enrollment for government assistance.

So what if you already have an estate plan? Do you need a Child Safeguard Plan, too?

Well, it depends on what kind of plan you already have.

If you have a will then you likely named guardians for your minor children; however, a will is only valid upon your death, so what would happen to your children upon your incapacity? If your attorney prepared additional documents to include with your will, referred to as ancillary documents, you may have chosen someone to handle your financial affairs upon your incapacity and someone to make medical decisions on your behalf when you no longer can.

If your attorney did not prepare these documents, then you will want to have them drafted by an experienced estate planner as soon as possible. Even with all of these documents, the issue of who will care for your children during your incapacity is not addressed. A well-drafted Child Safeguard Plan can ensure that when the time comes, your children are protected.

If you have a trust-based plan, then your children should be financially cared for both at your incapacity and upon your passing. However, a trust document will not and cannot address who you nominate to care for your child. Sure the trustee can manage the assets for your child’s benefit, but who is going to raise them and emotionally support the child. How can you ensure that the court will consider your nomination seriously?

Emergencies happen every day, unexpectedly. The best course of action is to plan now rather than react later.

I encourage you to contact our office for an initial meeting or attend one of our free educational workshops where you can learn how to choose a guardian and what documents you will need and how we can assist you with your Child Safeguard Plan. Thank you!

For more information on Child Safeguard Plans please visit this page...

http://www.zarembalaw.com/pdfs/What-i...

To schedule a free consultation with Walt Zaremba from his website please visit this page to request a consultation...

http://www.zarembalaw.com/Estate-Plan...