Many children are cared for by adults who are not their legal guardians. In fact, their primary caregiver may not even be biologically related to them. As a result, the person who knows the child best may not be legally empowered to make medication and treatment decisions for them.
I have found over the years that caregivers are often surprised at how carefully child psychiatrists look into legal guardianship.
Typical questions an adult may be asked if they bring a child to a psychiatry appointment:
Are you the child's legal guardian?
Do you share guardianship with anyone else?
Who is the child's primary caregiver?
Who are the child's biological parents?
Is there anyone else who is allowed to make medical decisions for this child?
The spirit behind these questions is to clarify that everyone who should be involved in the decision making process is present to discuss the child's treatment plan. It is very common for child psychiatry offices to require the signatures of all guardians on medical consent paperwork.
If there is disagreement between guardians on how to move forward, the psychiatrist can address these concerns and help a child's guardians reach a plan that everyone agrees on. This helps the child's treatment move forward smoothly.
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