Make a family preparedness plan

This page is not legal advice. For a decision about custody, talk with a family law helper. For the full guide, with what to do on the day a parent is detained, see Keep your family safe and ready.

Who should care for my child?

Someone your child feels safe with. They should be able to care for your child for a few days, or for longer if needed. Think about who lives close to school and who could take time off work.

Then talk with that person. Agree on how long they could help, who would pay for what, and how they would reach you. Choose a second person too, in case the first one cannot.

How do I give a caregiver permission for school and doctors?

Use the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit. Your caregiver fills it out and signs it. You do not have to sign it, and you can cancel it at any time (California Courts). With it, your caregiver can enroll your child in school and agree to school related health care, such as the shots and checkups school requires.

• If the caregiver is a relative, they can also agree to most other medical and dental care. Since January 1, 2026, "relative" covers a wider circle of family: any adult related to your child within the fifth degree by blood, adoption or marriage (Family Code 6550).
• It does not give custody. You are still the parent. If you disagree with a medical decision your caregiver makes, your decision comes first, unless it would put your child's life, health or safety at risk.
• No notary and no court. The form says so on its face, for schools and doctors to see.
• It stops working if your child no longer lives with the caregiver. The form says it does not expire. The court's self help page says to sign a new one each year, and some clinics ask for that too. A fresh copy each year is the safe choice.
• It only works in California. It gives no access to your bank account or money. See What about money and bills?

Make copies. One for your caregiver, one for home, and one for the school when it is needed. A legal aid group's practical tip: give it to the school only once your child is actually living with the caregiver (ILRC).

Need help with each line of the form? See How to fill out the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit.

What do I tell my child's school?

Update the emergency contacts at your child's school and child care. Put your trusted adult on the list. Add any instructions about who may pick your child up.

This list carries real weight. Since January 1, 2026, when a parent is not available to care for a child, California schools must first follow the parent's instructions in the emergency contact information, and should not call child protective services unless care cannot be arranged that way. Licensed child care centers and state preschools follow the same rule (AB 495 text). Keep the list current.

Which papers should I gather?

Keep these together in one safe place. Tell your caregiver where they are.

• Your children's birth certificates and passports, if they have them
• Health information: allergies, medicines, doctor, insurance card and shot records
• School information: the school's name and phone number, and teachers' names
• Copies of the caregiver form, and any custody or restraining order
• Your ID and, if you have one, your A number, so a helper can find you if you are detained
• Phone numbers for your caregiver, family members and anyone helping with a legal case

Learn one or two important phone numbers by heart. Help your older children learn them too.

Passports. If you might want your children to travel with you, apply early. A U.S. passport for a child under 16 costs $100 plus a $35 acceptance fee, and both parents must agree, in person or with the absent parent's notarized form DS-3053 (U.S. State Department). Routine processing takes 4 to 6 weeks. For a child born in another country, contact that country's consulate.

What about money and bills?

The caregiver form covers school and health care only. If someone may need to pay your rent, use your car or reach your bank account while you are away, that takes a different paper: a power of attorney.

• In California, a power of attorney must be dated and signed, and either notarized or signed in front of two adult witnesses (Probate Code 4121).
• It can be limited to certain things, like one bank account or the car. Banks may have their own forms, so ask your bank.
• Leave a little money or a prepaid card with your caregiver for the first days, if you can.

Talk with a lawyer or legal aid group before you sign a power of attorney. It gives real control over your money. For the bigger money plan, see Make a family money plan.

What if I want someone to have legal custody?

That takes a court. The caregiver form is for everyday care. Legal authority over your child for a longer time is different. There are two ways to prepare.

• Name the person you would want. On a free court form, GC-211, you can name who you would want as guardian. California law lets you say the choice should only take effect later, for example if you are absent (Probate Code 1502). The current form has no box for this, so ask your court's self help center how to add it.
• Joint guardianship, new in 2026. Since January 1, 2026, a California court may name a parent who has custody and the person that parent chose as joint guardians when the parent is temporarily unavailable. The law lists reasons such as a serious illness, military service, jail or an immigration related action (Probate Code 2105). You keep your role as a parent. When you ask to end it because you can care for your child again, the court presumes ending it is best for your child. These court records are confidential and not shared with immigration enforcement without a court order.
• If your child's other parent does not have custody and objects, a court cannot name joint guardians over that objection unless it finds that custody with that other parent would harm the child (Probate Code 2105).

What happens if a parent is detained?

Your plan is what makes this day easier. The caregiver picks up the children, using the school's emergency contact list. Then:

1. Find the parent. Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator with the A number and country of birth. A new arrest may not show right away.
2. Ask about the children. Call the ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024 and say "Parental Interests Inquiry." ICE policy says it will help detained parents take part in family court and guardianship cases (ICE). It is internal policy and gives no enforceable right.
3. Call for help. For San Mateo County residents, the Rapid Response Hotline is (203) 666-4472, open 24 hours (San Mateo County). For Santa Clara County residents, (408) 290-1144, open 24 hours (Sacred Heart). Elsewhere, use the DOJ list of free legal providers.
4. Do not sign anything from immigration officers before talking with a lawyer or DOJ accredited representative.

The full steps are in What to do if ICE detains someone in your family. For what to carry and say if agents come, see Get a free red card and If immigration agents come (in review).

What does a finished plan look like?

Example only. The family is made up.

Ana lives in California with her two children, ages 7 and 12. She asks her sister Rosa, who lives ten minutes from school, to be the caregiver. A neighbor, Mr. Diaz, is the backup.

• Rosa fills out and signs a Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit for each child. Because Rosa is a relative, she can also agree to doctor and dental visits.
• Ana adds Rosa and Mr. Diaz to the school's emergency contact list and writes "Rosa may pick up my children."
• Ana puts the birth certificates, shot records, insurance cards and a copy of each affidavit in one folder. Rosa knows where it is.
• Both children learn Rosa's phone number by heart.
• Ana asks the court self help center how to fill out GC-211 naming Rosa, if Ana is ever away for a long time.
• They set a date six months from now to look at the plan again.

It took Ana about a week, one evening at a time.

Why make a plan now?

Because life can change suddenly. We know this is hard to think about. A parent may be detained, become very sick or need to travel at short notice. When that happens, children do best when a trusted adult can step in right away and when the school already knows who that adult is.

A plan does not mean you expect the worst. It means your children will be cared for by someone you chose, whatever happens. Many families make one together and then put it away.

Who can help?

These are free or low cost public offices and nonprofits. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Your county court's self help center: free help with guardianship and court forms. Start at the California Courts Self Help Guide, which has a Chat Now button. For San Mateo County residents, the San Mateo Superior Court Self Help Center offers LiveChat.
• Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA): (650) 326-6440, for low income residents of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties (CLSEPA).
• Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County: (650) 558-0915, for San Mateo County residents.
• Bay Area Legal Aid: 1-800-551-5554 (Bay Area Legal Aid).
• California Attorney General: a guide for families that encourages every family to make a family safety plan. Know Your Educational Rights
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center: a detailed family preparedness plan with worksheets, in English and Spanish. Family Preparedness Plan, step by step (ILRC)

Can I print my plan on one page?