Free Legal Help for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Pennsylvania

Why Kinship Caregivers Need Legal Help — and Where to Find It Free

You took in your grandchild because someone had to. Now the school wants custody papers you don't have, the doctor's office won't see the child without a parent's signature, and you're not sure whether you need a lawyer or just the right forms. Pennsylvania has a network of free legal aid organizations that serve kinship caregivers specifically — but they're scattered across different agencies with different eligibility rules, and nobody hands you a single list.

Here are the organizations that matter, what they actually do, and how to reach them.

SeniorLAW Center (Age 60+)

The SeniorLAW Center's Pennsylvania SeniorLAW HelpLine provides free, confidential legal advice, brief services, information, and referrals to older Pennsylvanians age 60 and older. Its direct legal services include grandparents' rights and kinship-care matters such as custody and support. Call intake to ask whether it can assist with a specific guardianship, medical-consent, or school-enrollment issue.

• Phone: 1-877-727-7529
• Eligibility: Pennsylvania residents aged 60 and older; ask intake about eligibility for direct representation
• Services: Free, confidential advice, brief services, information, and referrals; direct legal services are available for some grandparents' rights and kinship-care matters
• Limitation: Cannot help younger caregivers — aunts, uncles, or adult siblings under 60 are directed to other Legal Aid offices

Call Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon, to request help. Intake can assess whether you need a court order or whether Pennsylvania's informal consent instruments — the Medical Consent Act authorization and the Section 1302 sworn statement — fit your situation.

Education Law Center of Pennsylvania (School Problems)

The Education Law Center (ELC-PA) is the go-to resource when a school district refuses to enroll a child in your care. They wrote many of the fact sheets that school districts themselves reference, and they understand the PDE enrollment regulations inside and out.

• Helpline: 267-436-6095 (Eastern and Central PA); 412-258-2120 (Western PA)
• Website: elc-pa.org
• Services: Education access and enrollment information, Section 1302 guidance, and PDE complaint resources
• Limitation: ELC's current contact page refers special education callers to Disability Rights Pennsylvania; ELC does not handle medical consent, benefits, or custody filings

If a registrar has turned you away because you lack court custody, ELC-PA can explain the district's obligations under 24 P.S. § 13-1302 and help you escalate to the PDE Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. They also publish downloadable fact sheets on their website covering the five-business-day enrollment deadline and the documents districts can and cannot require.

MidPenn Legal Services (Central PA)

MidPenn covers 18 counties across central Pennsylvania and provides free civil legal assistance to eligible residents. Its listed family-law service includes custody, and it publishes a guide to school enrollment by a non-parent caregiver; call intake to ask whether it can represent you in a specific kinship or guardianship matter.

• Phone: 1-800-326-9177
• Coverage: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Schuylkill, and York counties
• Services: Family-law assistance includes custody; MidPenn also publishes a non-parent school-enrollment guide. Ask intake about guardianship filings.
• Eligibility: Financial eligibility for most services is based on 125% of the federal poverty guidelines; limits are updated annually and some services have different criteria

PA Legal Aid Network and PALawHelp

If you're not sure which organization serves your county, the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) supports the statewide civil legal aid network, and PALawHelp lists providers and legal resources.

• Statewide referral information: 1-800-322-7572
• Website: palawhelp.org
• What it does: Use PALawHelp to find the legal aid program serving your county and browse civil legal information and self-help resources

PALawHelp lists a downloadable Section 1302 sworn statement and school-enrollment resources for non-parent caregivers. Its medical-consent information is older, so check current law before relying on it for a form.

KinConnector (Navigation, Not Legal Representation)

KinConnector is Pennsylvania's statewide kinship navigator program under Act 89 of 2018, administered through The Bair Foundation. It's not a legal aid office — it won't draft your documents or represent you in court — but it connects caregivers to financial aid, support groups, respite care, and the legal aid organizations listed above.

• Phone: 1-866-546-2111
• Website: kinconnector.org
• Services: Telephone helpline, resource referrals, support group connections

KinConnector is often the best first call when you're not sure what you need. They'll assess your situation and direct you to the right agency.

When You Need a Lawyer vs. When You Need the Right Forms

Many kinship caregivers assume they need an attorney to get their grandchild into school or to a doctor. For most informal arrangements where a parent is alive and willing to cooperate, Pennsylvania's statutory consent instruments — the Section 1302 sworn statement for school and the Medical Consent Act authorization for healthcare — don't require a lawyer at all.

You do need legal representation when you're filing for formal custody or guardianship through the Court of Common Pleas, when a parent is contesting your care arrangement, or when an agency has opened an investigation. That's when the Legal Aid offices above earn their weight.

Our Pennsylvania consent guide explains every form, who signs it, and when you've crossed the line from paperwork you can handle yourself to a situation that calls for a lawyer.

See more Pennsylvania guides →