A conservator is another name for a guardian – – someone entrusted with care for another. For example, when some states refer to a parent’s custody over a child, they will refer to the parent with custody as a conservator. Joint conservatorship just means joint custody, meaning both parents share custody over the child.
A legal guardian is appointed by a court to perform duties such as personal care, custody, and control. A guardian will often have the authority to make decisions such as where the ward (the person in the custody of the guardian) will live and what medical treatment the ward will receive.
An in loco parentis means a relationship where one person takes on a caring role for a child instead of a parent. For example, a school will have an in loco parentis relationship with students while the children are at the school. In some circumstances, where a parent is absent, another adult or family member…
Foster care is a temporary arrangement where children who have been removed from their parents are placed with other adults to care for them. Typically foster care follows a situation where the child’s parents have abused or neglected the child.
Contracts between a couple related to their marriage are called marital agreements. These agreements include prenuptial agreements, separation agreements, marital settlement agreements (divorce agreements).
