What to Do After Guardianship Is Granted in Illinois

The Order Is Signed — Now What

The judge just signed the Order Appointing Plenary Guardian of Minor. You might feel relief, but the work isn't over. The first days and weeks after the order are when you convert that legal authority into practical access — getting the child enrolled in school, set up with healthcare, connected to benefits, and documented everywhere that matters.

Get Your Letters of Office Immediately

Walk directly from the courtroom to the circuit clerk's office. Request multiple certified copies of both the guardianship order and your Letters of Office. Four to six copies is a practical minimum — you'll need them for the school, the doctor, benefits applications, insurance, and your own records.

Letters of Office are the working credential. Schools and healthcare providers will ask for this document, not the full court order.

Enroll the Child in School

Ask the district's enrollment office which documents it needs and how to complete enrollment. Bring:

• A certified copy of your Letters of Office
• The child's immunization records (or contact the previous school to transfer them)
• Proof of your address in the district
• The child's birth certificate

If the child's living situation may qualify under the McKinney-Vento Act, contact the school's homeless liaison to ask about enrollment and records.

You now have authority to make educational decisions, including school matters.

Set Up Healthcare

Bring your Letters of Office to the child's pediatrician (or find a new one if the child moved districts). You can now consent to medical treatment, access the child's health records, and make decisions about prescriptions, specialists, and mental health care.

If the child doesn't have health insurance, apply for All Kids, Illinois's Medicaid program for children. Applications go through the ABE portal at abe.illinois.gov. Your Letters of Office document your legal relationship to the child.

Apply for Benefits

With your guardianship order in hand, you can apply for:

• TANF child-only grant — your income is excluded from the eligibility calculation; the child's income (usually zero) determines qualification
• SNAP benefits — food assistance through the ABE portal
• Child care assistance (CCAP) — subsidized child care if you're working or in school
• LIHEAP energy assistance — help with utility bills during heating and cooling seasons

TANF Child-Only, All Kids, and SNAP applications use abe.illinois.gov. Check the current application instructions for CCAP and LIHEAP. Letters of Office can document your legal relationship to the child.

Understand Your Reporting Duties

Post-appointment duties vary by circuit. Under Sixth Judicial Circuit Rule 5.4, a guardian of the person must file a biennial report on the child's health, living conditions, and educational progress, with the first report due within 12 months of appointment. Cook County requires compliance with its formal Instructions to Guardians and reports as directed. Your circuit's local rules specify the reporting schedule — ask the clerk's office or check your circuit's website.

If you have guardianship of the child's estate (managing money or property), you must file annual financial accountings with the court listing all income, expenditures, and assets. Estate funds cannot be mixed with your personal accounts.

Know the Travel Rules

Under 755 ILCS 5/11-13:

• Temporary trips over 48 hours but under 30 days — inform the parents of the destination address, phone number, dates, and return date before you leave
• Permanent relocation out of Illinois — requires prior court approval. File a petition detailing the reasons, the new address, and the effective date. Serve notice on living parents by certified mail within 3 days after the order is entered

For temporary trips, the statutory notice rule described above applies when the child will be out of Illinois for more than 48 hours but less than 30 days.

The Ongoing Relationship With the Parents

Guardianship suspends parental rights but doesn't terminate them. Parents can petition to end the guardianship at any time if they can show changed circumstances. Facilitating a healthy relationship between the child and their parents — when safe — is both a best practice and something the court considers favorably if a discharge petition is ever filed.

The Illinois Guardianship and Custody Court Process Guide includes a post-order compliance calendar that tracks reporting deadlines, benefit application dates, and enrollment tasks across the first 90 days after the order is signed.

See more Illinois guides →