What We Do

The goal of the NRSBG is to divert at risk children into the care of known and trusted guardians instead of the homes of strangers in the foster system. Our goal is to pre-empt the involvement of the foster system in a child’s life and keep the child’s “village” involved in their care.

The work of the NRSBG is to provide a trusted database of standby guardianship agreements for parents and children and their prospective standby guardians. Access to the database is restricted to CPS, law enforcement, courts and child welfare personnel.

Birth parents will designate one or more standby guardians to care for their children if they are ever deemed to be unable to care for their children by CPS, law enforcement, family courts or child welfare personnel. This type of agreement is preferred, and will be offered at no cost to the parent through volunteer legal professionals, hospitals and public notaries. All designated standby guardians must submit to and pay for initial and periodic background checks. This approach allows hospitals, churches, volunteer organizations and non profits to offer standardized, standby guardian agreements at multiple times and places in the life of a child, from birth through childhood and adolescence.

An non family adult may also submit their name to be considered as a standby guardian for a child. Such volunteer designated standby guardians must submit to and pay for initial and periodic background checks. However, unlike parental initiated agreements, these volunteer submissions would be subject to the scrutiny and review of family courts as a further safeguard. This approach allows concerned friends and families to participate in the care and protection of a child who may be at risk.

All notarized agreements are then filed with the NRSBG and accessible to CPS, law enforcement, courts and child welfare personnel. These agreements shall carry the weight of law and require the child to be placed in the care of the standby guardian(s) instead of a foster home.

The desired outcome is to require, through statute, all CPS, law enforcement, court and child welfare personnel involved in the removal of a child from their birth family, to use the NRSBG to locate a previously named and trusted guardian to care for any child who would otherwise enter the foster system. This approach should be the first choice for the care of a child at risk of removal from their birth family, instead of foster homes.