- Juvenile wardship petitions must be filed in California state court with the Juvenile Judicial Council. The form can be either downloaded from the Superior Court of California website or requested from the clerk at a regional branch of the court.
- The completed wardship petition form must include the petitioning party's name, physical address and other pertinent information, as well as the juvenile's name, street address and other info. On a separate page, the petitioner should include with the form the reasoning as to why the wardship is being requested and why it would benefit all parties. The petition has to be signed and notarized before it is submitted to the court.
- After the petition form is submitted to the clerk and filed, a hearing is scheduled by the court on the matter. The court is legally required to provide the petitioner and child. During the hearing, the petitioner must be present for questioning.
- The bottom of the petition form clearly states that any petitioner who's declared the legal guardian of a juvenile who's housed in a detention center can be declared liable for the cost of care of the child, the cost of legal services for the child and the cost of restitution to the victim, if any.
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