I know that some of it does have to be done through the court system. I have a neighbor who got legal guardianship of her cousin. Since this is a mutual arrangement, it should go fairly smoothly for you. Go to or call the juvenile court system in your area and they should be able to tell you what forms and what else needs to be done. I don't know enough about your situation to say whether or not to do it. I've seen it be the best thing, and the not such a good idea thing. I can say it's been the best move in the interest of the child a majority of times, but the cases I've seen have been ones where the child is in an abusive situation. You know your situation, and only you can make that decision fully. Good luck!
