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From January 1, 2025, $600 paid at the time of filing petitions of relative guardianship and petitions to terminate guardianship, and a fee of $600 at the time of filing Temporary Conservatorship Petitions, Conservatorship Petitions, Termination of Conservatorship Petitions, and/or Court Ordered Investigations, Biennial Reviews of Conservatorship requiring a fee of $300 due after the investigation report has been submitted, a fee waiver on financial hardship; Family Court Services appointed to investigate proposed relative guardians (Probate Code § 1513(a)), background checks since January 2, 2020 for all petitioners and other adults residing in the home, and a guardianship questionnaire completed and submitted to Family Court Services, by email if the petitioner chooses; a Court Investigator for limited and general conservatorships of the person and the estate, LPS conservatorships not covered; and a subpoena of an FCS Investigator served on the FCS Management Team at least 10 calendar days before the hearing, with a receipt of the witness fees of $275.
California > Fifth Appellate District > Kern County > Superior Court of California, County of Kern
Relative Guardianship Investigations As of January 1, 2025, all petitioners shall pay $600 at the time of filing petitions of relative guardianship and for petitions to terminate guardianship. Petitioners experiencing a financial hardship may file a request for a fee waiver. The Probate court appoints Family Court Services to conduct investigations of proposed guardians, who are relatives of children whose parents are otherwise unable to meet the best interest of the children pursuant to Probate Code § 1513(a). Guardianship Pamphlet Beginning January 2, 2020, Family Court Services has been conducting background checks in relative guardianship cases for all petitioners and other adults residing in the home. A guardianship questionnaire must be completed and submitted to Family Court Services. When submitting the questionnaires, petitioners can email them directly. Guardianship questionnaire Guardianship termination Conservatorship Investigations The Probate court appoints a Court Investigator to conduct an investigation for limited and general conservatorship proceedings of the person and the estate. As of January 1, 2025, all petitioners are required to pay a fee of $600 at the time of filing Temporary Conservatorship Petitions, Conservatorship Petitions, Termination of Conservatorship Petitions, and/or Court Ordered Investigations. Biennial Reviews of Conservatorship are required a fee of $300 due after the investigation report has been submitted to the court. Petitioners experiencing a financial hardship may file a request for a fee waiver. What is conservatorship? A conservatorship is a court proceeding in which a judge appoints a family member, friend or other responsible person (conservator) to take care of a dependent adult (conservatee) who cannot care of himself/herself and/or their finances. There are two types of conservatorships, person and estate. Conservatorship of the Person: In these situations, the conservator is responsible for ensuring the conservatee has proper food, clothing, shelter, and health care. Depending on the conservatee’s ability to understand and make decision, the conservator may need to make important medical choices for him or her. Conservatorship of the Estate: The conservator handles the conservatee’s financial matters. These responsibilities include the conservatee’s finances, protecting income and property, paying bills, making investments, preparing and filing taxes on behalf of the conservatee. The conservator is also required to make regular reports of financial account to the courts and other interested parties. General Conservatorship v. Limited Conservatorship General Conservatorships: Are for elderly people, but can also be for younger people who have been seriously impaired, for example a traumatic brain injury as result of a motor vehicle accident. Limited Conservatorships: Are for adults with developmental disabilities who cannot fully provide basic needs of food shelter and clothing or their finances. Conservatees in Limited Conservatorships do not need the higher level of care that conservatees in General Conservatorships need. The responsibility of the limited conservator is to help the limited conservatee develop maximum self-reliance and independence. What is a temporary conservatorship? A temporary conservatorship may be set up when a person needs immediate help. A judge may appoint a temporary conservator to take care of the conservatee’s immediate needs until a permanent conservator can be appointed. A temporary conservator may be a conservator of the person, conservator of the estate, or both. He or she arranges for temporary care, protection, and support of the conservatee and protects the conservatee’s finances and property from loss or damage until a permanent conservator can be appointed. The authority of the temporary conservator is much more limited than a permanent conservator. What is a Lanternman-Petris-Short (LPS) Conservatorship? Lanternman-Petris-Short (LPS) conservatorships are based on the Lanternman-Petris-Short Act of 1969 law named after its sponsors. The LPS conservatorships are created to arrange for certain types of very restrictive living arrangements and extended mental health treatment for people who are unable to provide for their own needs for food, clothing, or shelter as a result of a mental disorder or chronic alcoholism, and who cannot agree to the arrangement of treatment voluntarily. This process must be started by a local government agency, usually a county’s public guardian or public conservator. Therefore, Family Court Services does not cover these conservatorships. Conservatorship handbook Subpoena Process for Investigators Parties requesting the presence of a Family Court Services (FCS) Investigator at a court hearing may serve an official subpoena (form SUBP-001 available here) on the FCS Management Team at 1215 Truxtun Avenue, Room 301, Bakersfield, California. The subpoenaing party shall serve the subpoena at least 10 calendar days before the hearing. Before serving the subpoena, the party must first contact FCS to confirm the investigator’s availability on the scheduled hearing date and time. FCS can be contacted at FCS@kern.courts.ca.gov or (661) 610-6700. At the time of serving the subpoena, the parties shall provide a receipt of the witness fees of $275 paid in full with the Family Law Department or evidence of the court approved fee waiver of the case. The exception to these requirements is court appointed counsel. They are not required to pay the witness fees or provide evidence of a court approved fee waiver. If the hearing for which the subpoena applies is taken off-calendar or continued, the subpoenaing party shall notify the FCS Investigator at their earliest opportunity. The subpoenaing party shall notify the FCS Investigator by contacting them at (661) 610-6700 or by email at FCS@kern.courts.ca.gov If the investigator’s appearance will still be required, but for a continued hearing date, a new subpoena will not be necessary if the subpoenaing party does both of the following: contact FCS, at their earliest opportunity, to determine the investigator’s availability on the continued hearing date; and email a notice to FCS at FCS@kern.courts.ca.gov, confirming the continued hearing date and time for which the investigator’s appearance is required. This email notification shall set forth the parties’ names, the Kern County Superior Court case number, the name of the FCS investigator, and the continued hearing date and time. In order to process a refund of any unused portion of the party’s deposit, a written request must be submitted to the Court by email (at Revenue@kern.courts.ca.gov), dropped off at Court reception, or by U.S. Mail (at Kern County Superior Court, 1415 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield 93301, to the attention of: Finance Department) following the conclusion of the trial.
Relative Guardianship Investigations As of January 1, 2025, all petitioners shall pay $600 at the time of filing petitions of relative guardianship and for petitions to terminate guardianship. Petitioners experiencing a financial hardship may file a request for a fee waiver. The Probate court appoints Family Court Services to conduct investigations of proposed guardians, who are relatives of child
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6 verbatim requirements on divisional requirements in GIUSEPPINA MIRANDA's division.
4 verbatim requirements on divisional requirements in HILARY CREARY's division.