Proteja Su Familia Guide: How to Prepare for Any Emergency
This resource, created by the Oregon Law Center and Latino Network in 2017, is a tool designed to help families create a family plan in case of unexpected events that prevent a parent from taking care of their children.
It does not constitute legal advice and may not apply to all situations. Therefore, it is important to begin seeking the necessary resources to develop a plan that is appropriate for you and your family. To access the PDF, click here for English and here for Spanish.
This guide is created to help answer questions such as What will happen to my children if something happens to me? Or who will take care of them?
The goal of this guide is for you and your family to feel more prepared to make important decisions with calmness and clarity when an unprecedented emergency occurs.
Documents you need to have prepared!
These documents will be necessary to complete and fill out this guide.
Birth Certificate
Vaccination Records
Social Security Cards (If your children were born in the U.S
Updated emergency contacts from school
If your children have dual citizenship (bring both certificates)
Update for traveling with a minor
Temporary Authorization Transfer (Delegation of parental/guardian power)
Phone numbers of key people: teachers, after-school programs, sports coaches, and doctors
Other relevant documents (e.g., court decision regarding legal custody, death certificates, or deportation orders)
Within this guide you will be given advice on how to do a temporary authorization transfer, this does not have to do with the custody of your child, but it gives temporary care of your minor children and the ability to make decisions if the parents are unavailable to do so, such as decisions on housing, education, or medical care. This can be accepted by many organizations/ people, but not all, because it is not a court order.
Before this step is taken, have a conversation with a trusted person you have chosen. The person you choose to take temporary care of your minor children must be 18 years old. It is recommended that this person have a stable status in the United States (permanent residence or citizen). Alongside ensuring that this person does not have a criminal record.
Following this step, ensure that you get their consent to take on these responsibilities, from then discuss the type of care you want for your children. From this, they can communicate with you if they can not care for your children for more than six months (this can include information about family members in your home country).
This is just one example of what the preparedness guide can help families prepare for. One of our members at the Latino Network provided a step-by-step guide on how to complete this guide.
To watch this video, click here.
Stay connected—join our newsletter for updates from Latino Network!
