How to Fill Out and Use the Illinois Temporary Guardianship Form (CFS 444-2)

The Illinois temporary guardianship form, officially the Appointment of Short-Term Guardian (DCFS form CFS 444-2), lets a parent hand day-to-day care of a minor to another adult for up to 365 days without going to court. The form tracks the template in 755 ILCS 5/11-5.4 of the Illinois Probate Act, and DCFS publishes a fillable PDF you can download and complete at home.{¹}{²} The form is never filed with a court; it is a private document you distribute to the people who need proof the guardian is acting with your authority.

Who Can Sign the Form

A parent, adoptive parent, or adjudicated parent whose parental rights have not been terminated can appoint a short-term guardian for an unmarried minor. A court-appointed guardian of the person of a minor can do the same. Appointments are also allowed for a child who is expected to be born but has not yet arrived.{¹}

When the Other Parent Must Co-Sign

If the child has another living parent whose parental rights are intact, whose whereabouts are known, and who is willing and able to handle the child’s day-to-day care, that parent must co-sign the form. The DCFS version has a dedicated space for this in Section 8.{²} Skipping the signature when it applies can invalidate the whole appointment.

The other parent’s signature is not required when any of the following is true:

The other parent has died.
The other parent’s whereabouts are unknown.
The other parent is not willing or able to make day-to-day childcare decisions.
The parents were never married and no court has issued a parentage order.{}¹

Signing a short-term guardianship does not strip the other parent of any legal rights to the child, and a court can step in at any time to limit or terminate the guardian’s authority.{¹}

Where to Get the Form

The simplest route is the DCFS fillable PDF, form CFS 444-2, available on the DCFS website. It contains all eight sections the statute requires.{²} You can also draft your own version, since 755 ILCS 5/11-5.4 reproduces the full form language. Any document that contains the required information and follows the signing rules qualifies. Some legal aid organizations and county clerk offices supply templates as well.

Filling Out the Form Section by Section

CFS 444-2 has eight numbered sections. Here is what each one asks for and the places people most often slip up.

Section 1: Parent and Child

Enter your full legal name and current residential address as the appointing parent or guardian, then list each child covered, including date of birth. For a child who has not yet been born, write “not yet born” with the expected date of birth.{¹}

Section 2: Guardian

Provide the full legal name and residential address of the person you are appointing. The short-term guardian statute itself does not spell out eligibility criteria. General Illinois guardianship law requires a guardian to be at least 18, a U.S. resident, and free of felony convictions involving harm or threats to a child.{³} Picking someone who meets those standards reduces the chance of a later challenge.

Section 3: Effective Date

This is the section parents most often fill in carelessly. You choose one triggering event that activates the guardian’s authority. The DCFS form offers:

The date you state in writing that you are no longer willing or able to make childcare decisions.
The date a physician certifies in writing that you are no longer able to make those decisions.
The date you are admitted as an inpatient to a hospital or other healthcare facility.
A specific future calendar date.
The date your active-duty military service begins.
An administrative separation as defined in Section 11-1 of the Probate Act.
A custom triggering event you describe yourself.{}²

Leave Section 3 blank and the appointment takes effect immediately on the date you sign. That is fine when you need the guardian to act right away, but it catches some parents off guard. They sign the form weeks early for a future surgery, and the guardian technically has authority from the moment they sign.{¹}

Section 4: Termination

The default is 365 days from the effective date. You can shorten that by selecting one of the termination triggers on the form:

The date you state in writing that you are again willing and able to make childcare decisions.
A physician’s written certification that you have recovered.
Your discharge from the hospital or facility that triggered the appointment.
A specific number of days after the effective date (no more than 365).
No more than 30 days after your active-duty service ends.
A custom event you describe.{}²

Leave this section blank and the appointment runs the full 365 days. Be specific. Vague language like “when I feel better” invites arguments about whether the termination event has actually happened.

Section 5: Date and Signature

You date and sign. If you are physically unable to sign, someone else can sign at your direction as long as the witnesses see it happen.{¹}

Section 6: Witnesses

Two witnesses sign immediately after watching you sign (or watching someone sign at your direction). Both must be at least 18, and neither can be the person being appointed as the short-term guardian. Each witness prints a name and address alongside the signature.{¹}

Section 7: Guardian’s Acceptance

The person you appoint signs here to accept the role. The statute requires the guardian’s signature on the instrument but does not require it to happen at the same moment as yours. The guardian can sign later.{¹} Getting everyone to sign in a single sitting avoids the risk of a half-executed form sitting in a drawer.

Section 8: Other Parent’s Consent

If the child’s other parent is alive, locatable, and able to care for the child, that parent signs here. See the earlier section for the exceptions.

Does the Form Need to Be Notarized?

No. Illinois law requires only the two witnesses. Notarization adds a layer of verification that can smooth things over when a school administrator or hospital asks for proof of authority, and some providers prefer to see a notarized copy. If a notary is easy to reach, it is worth the small effort, but a properly witnessed form is legally sufficient on its own.

What the Short-Term Guardian Can and Cannot Do

A short-term guardian steps into the role of a guardian of the person of the minor and can make decisions about the child’s daily care, living arrangements, and health. The guardian has no authority over the child’s estate or finances, with one narrow exception: the guardian can apply for and receive government benefits on the child’s behalf.{⁴}

You can narrow the guardian’s authority further in the written instrument. For example, you can specify that the guardian may not consent to elective surgery or may not take the child out of Illinois. With no restrictions written in, the guardian has the full scope of a guardian of the person under Section 11-13 of the Probate Act.{²}

Using the Signed Form

Nothing gets filed with a court or state agency. Once the form is fully signed, make several copies and give them to the people and institutions that will need to see proof of the guardian’s authority.

Schools

A short-term guardian can enroll the child in the school district where the guardian lives. Under the Illinois School Code, a child living with a short-term guardian counts as a resident of that district, provided the child was not placed there just to access a particular school.{⁵} There is a catch: the guardian is expected to obtain a court order for permanent guardianship within 60 days of enrollment. Missing that deadline does not automatically disenroll the child, but the district can push the issue.{⁶}

Doctors and Hospitals

The guardian should carry a copy of the signed form to every medical appointment. Providers use it to verify the guardian’s authority to consent to treatment. Cautious providers may want to see the original or a notarized copy.

Daily Life

The guardian should keep a copy on hand for any situation where someone might question their relationship to the child: picking the child up from daycare, crossing a state line, or handling interactions with law enforcement. The parent should keep the original somewhere safe and accessible.

Military Deployments Get a Longer Window

The 365-day limit does not apply to parents on active-duty military service. Members of the Armed Forces, reserve components, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration commissioned corps, and the Public Health Service detailed for military duty can appoint a short-term guardian for the full length of their active-duty service plus 30 days. The form must include the dates of the parent’s active-duty service.{¹} The DCFS form has a dedicated effective-date option tied to the start of active duty and a termination option tied to its end.

Revoking or Changing the Appointment

A parent can amend or revoke the short-term guardian appointment at any time, in any manner communicated to the guardian or any other person. The statutory language is deliberately broad: a phone call, a text, a letter, or physically destroying the document can all qualify. Once the guardian receives notice, their authority ends immediately.{¹}

Put a revocation in writing anyway. A written revocation eliminates any dispute about whether the guardian was notified and when. If you gave copies to the child’s school or doctor, send a revocation notice to them too, or they may keep recognizing the old guardian’s authority until they hear otherwise.

A court can also terminate or limit a short-term guardianship. This most commonly happens when a juvenile court proceeding results in the appointment of a temporary custodian under the Juvenile Court Act.{¹}

1
Illinois General Assembly. 755 ILCS 5/11-5.4 – Short-Term Guardian
2
Department of Children and Family Services. Appointment of Short-Term Guardian
3
Illinois Legal Aid Online. Getting Guardianship of a Child
4
FindLaw. Illinois Statutes Chapter 755 Estates 5/11-13.2
5
Illinois State Board of Education. Non-Regulatory Guidance on Registration Residency and Enrollment, Immigrant Pupils, Homeless Pupils and School Fees and Waivers
6
FindLaw. Illinois Statutes Chapter 105 Schools 5/10-20.12b