What is a legal guardianship, and what does it mean?

A legal guardianship is when a judge decides that a person other than a child’s biological parent will have custody of the child.  Guardianship gives an adult the authority to make decisions for that child that a parent would normally make.  The guardian has the right to raise the child without the child’s parents getting involved. A legal guardianship does not terminate the parent’s parental rights but instead suspends the parental rights.