Temporary Guardianship

It is wonderful that you are a caring and helpful person. It is perfect that you are already licensed. Given that, you'll understand why I say that when I read, "I just wanna give her (my sister, the mother) a chance," though, I stumble a little. Taking temporary guardianship is similar to the responsibility the state takes on when it takes legal custody of a child. Taking on a child--foster or not--requires commitment to the child...you need to be ready to put the child's needs and best interest ahead of any consideration for your sister. The child needs parenting and the child won't stop growing up while the mother gets herself together (or doesn't). There may come a time when what the child needs is for someone to say "no" to your sister; you need to be able to do that, IMO, to be a safe guardian for the 2-y.o. OTOH, many things come in time and sometimes life needs to you to just jump in and sort it out later. When our fd/niece was 2, her mother asked to send her to me. We squirreled around talking about how it would be arranged until it was too late and the chance was gone. The next year she was in fc. The next year she was RU. The next year, fc again and finally to us at age 5...having her here those three years would have made a tremendous difference in quality of life and family life for all of us....