California Confidential Guardianship Status Report (GC-251): Filing and Deadlines

California Form GC-251, the Confidential Guardianship Status Report, is the annual update every guardian of a minor files with the probate court to show how the child is doing. You complete it using current information about the child’s home, school, health, and contact with parents, then file it with the clerk of the court that issued your letters of guardianship by the deadline printed on the notice the clerk mails you.¹

When the Report Is Due and Where to Get It

The report is annual. Probate Code § 1513.2 requires the court to set up procedures that ensure every guardian completes and returns it each year, and the clerk mails you a blank form and a filing notice at least one month before your deadline.¹ Treat that mailed date as a hard deadline. If you misplace the blank form, you can download the current PDF from the California Courts site² or pick up a paper copy at your superior court clerk’s window.

Print two copies when you’re done. One goes to the court; the other comes back to you with a file stamp as proof you filed on time.

Gather This Before You Open the Form

The form moves faster if you have records in front of you. Pull together:

Your current home address, home and work phone numbers, how long you have lived at that address, and a note on any health problems that could affect your ability to continue as guardian in the coming year.
The child’s full name, date of birth, and current living situation.
The child’s school name and address, current grade, recent grades, attendance, and any tutoring or behavior notes.
Names, addresses, and phone numbers for every physician, dentist, and other health care provider currently treating the child, plus the status of immunizations.
Notes on any major events in the past year — death of a parent, abuse, serious illness, or other significant disruption — and the therapist’s contact information if the child is in therapy.
A roster of everyone living in the home: name, age, and relationship to the child, with a note on anyone who moved in after the guardianship was established.
Each parent’s name, address, and phone number, plus visitation details: how often, how long, supervised or not, who is present, whether overnights occur, and any problems.

You’ll also be asked to describe the child’s social and community activities and to state your goals for the child for the coming year, so jot a few notes on both before you start writing.³

Filling Out Each Section

Guardian Information

Enter your address, phone numbers, and years at that address. Two questions here trip people up. You must disclose any significant health problem that might interfere with your service in the coming year. You must also report whether you or any adult living in the child’s home has been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of any felony, misdemeanor, or other offense involving alcohol, drugs, or sexual misconduct since your appointment or your last report.³ Answer honestly. Knowingly submitting false information on this form is a misdemeanor under Probate Code § 1513.2.¹ The form also asks whether you serve as a court-appointed guardian or conservator in any other case; if so, provide that case number.

Child’s Personal Information

Give the child’s name and date of birth, then check whether the child lives with you. If the child lives elsewhere, provide the name, relationship, address, and phone number of the person the child is living with. If the child used to live with you and no longer does, explain when and why.³

Education

List the school’s name and address and the child’s current grade. The narrative field asks for the child’s progress. “Doing fine” tells the judge nothing. Write a sentence or two covering recent grades, attendance, any teacher conferences, and anything that has changed from the prior year.

Physical and Emotional Health

This is the longest section. Provide contact information for each doctor, dentist, and other provider currently treating the child, and check the immunization box. Separate questions ask whether the child has medical or dental problems and whether you are seeing emotional or behavioral concerns.⁴ Disclose any traumatic event or major change in the past year, and give the therapist’s contact information if the child is seeing one.

Two narrative fields close the section. Describe the child’s social activities and community involvement — sports, church, after-school programs, cultural events. Then write out your goals for the child for the next year. Concrete goals (improving reading, starting music lessons, more time with a sibling) land better than vague ones.

Other People in the Home

List every person currently living in the home with their name, age, and relationship to both you and the child. Flag anyone who moved in after the guardianship was first established.³ New adults in the household change the child’s environment, and the court tracks that.

Child’s Natural Parents

Provide each parent’s name, address, and phone number. The form walks through visitation for each parent separately: frequency, average length, supervised or not, who else is present, overnights, and any problems. If a parent has no contact, say so and explain the circumstances briefly.

Filing the Completed Form

Submit the form to the probate clerk’s office in the county where your guardianship case is active.⁴ Bring the original plus a copy so the clerk can file-stamp the copy and hand it back. That stamped copy is your proof of compliance if a question comes up later. If you mail the form, use certified mail with a return receipt.

Some counties accept electronic filing for probate documents. Orange County, for example, requires attorneys to e-file probate papers through an approved Electronic Filing Service Provider but exempts self-represented guardians, who may still e-file voluntarily.⁵ Check your own county’s rules before assuming either way.

There is generally no separate filing fee for the annual status report. If your county charges any related probate fee you cannot afford, you can request a fee waiver using Form FW-001.⁶

Who Can See the Report

The report is confidential. Probate Code § 1513.2 limits access to people who were served in the guardianship proceeding and their attorneys,¹ and California Rules of Court, Rule 7.1003 directs the clerk to release it only to those parties or their counsel. If the child is an Indian child and the tribe has intervened, the tribe’s designated representative also has access.⁷ The general public cannot view GC-251. That confidentiality is why you can be candid about emotional struggles, visitation problems, or household changes.

What Happens If You File Late or Skip It

If your completed form does not arrive by the deadline, the court tries to collect the information from you or from other sources. If 30 days pass and the court still does not have what it needs, a judge can order you to make yourself available for investigation or to appear and show cause why you should not be removed as guardian.¹ Ignoring GC-251 puts the whole guardianship at risk.

When the report shows a stable, healthy child in school and well cared for, the court typically adds it to the file and takes no further action until next year. A court investigator may review it, and anything concerning (a gap in medical care, a sudden move, serious behavioral issues) can trigger a hearing for more information. File on time, answer every question honestly, and keep your stamped copy.

1
California Legislative Information. California Code, Probate Code – PROB 1513.2
2
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Confidential Guardianship Status Report (GC-251)
3
Judicial Branch of California. GC-251 Confidential Guardianship Status Report
4
California Courts. Confidential Guardianship Status Report
5
Superior Court of California, County of Orange. eFiling for Probate / Mental Health
6
California Courts | Self Help Guide. Request to Waive Court Fees (FW-001)
7
Judicial Branch of California. Rule 7.1003 – Confidential Guardianship Status Report Form