Planning a Trip? Protect Your Children with a Kids Protection Plan!
With Spring Break upon us and
summer close on its heels, many parents are planning fun getaways with their
children. However, few consider what would happen to their kids if an emergency
occurred during their travels. Read more…
2025.03.14
Planning a Trip? Protect Your
Children with a Kids Protection PlanⓇ
With Spring Break upon us and
summer close on its heels, you're likely focused on planning the perfect
getaway with your children - booking flights, reserving hotels, and mapping out
exciting activities. But there's one crucial aspect of travel planning that
often gets overlooked: ensuring your children's safety and care if something
unexpected happens to you during your trip. While no one wants to think about
emergencies during vacation, having proper protection in place lets you truly
relax and enjoy making memories together.
Let's explore why having a Kids
Protection PlanⓇ (“KPP”) in place before
traveling is essential and what steps you can take to protect your children.
Please note: most lawyers, even at the top estate planning firms, often make at
least one of 6 common mistakes that the KPP is designed to address, when naming
legal guardians for children in an estate plan.
The Hidden Risks of Traveling
Without Protection
When you're caught up in vacation
planning excitement, it's easy to focus only on the fun ahead. However,
traveling presents unique risks and scenarios you need to consider. If you
become incapacitated in a car accident or experience any other emergency while
away from home, what would happen to your children in those critical first
hours or days? Without proper legal documentation, your children could be
temporarily taken into the care of strangers or social services until the
proper authorities can determine who has the legal authority to care for them.
This becomes even more
complicated when traveling internationally. Different countries have varying
laws about child custody and care in emergency situations. Without clear legal
documentation designating temporary guardians, your children could face significant
trauma while authorities work through bureaucratic processes to determine their
care. Even domestic travel can present challenges if you're incapacitated in
another state, as local authorities may not immediately recognize out-of-state
guardianship arrangements without proper documentation.
A comprehensive KPP, which we
create for you as part of the Life & Legacy PlanningⓇ
process, provides crucial legal documentation and instructions that activate
immediately if something happens to you. This includes the designation of
temporary guardians who can care for your children until your long-term
guardians can arrive, as well as detailed information about your children's
medical needs, allergies, medications, and daily routines.
When you work with us to create a
KPP, we include several key components that many parents overlook. First,
you’ll receive ID cards that list emergency contacts that can care for your
children in your absence. Second, we’ll create medical power of attorney forms
that allow designated caregivers to authorize treatment for your kids if they
need medical care if needed. Third, your KPP will include temporary
guardianship documentation so your kids are never taken into the care of
strangers, while the authorities locate the long-term guardians for your
children. Finally, if there is anyone you would never want raising your
children, we document that (confidentially), too.
Beyond these basics, your KPP
also includes detailed information about your children's daily lives - their
favorite foods, bedtime routines, fears or anxieties, and comfort items. This
helps caregivers maintain normalcy during a stressful situation. You can also
include passwords for electronic devices, social media accounts, and
educational platforms your children might need to access.
Take Action Before You Travel
Before heading off on your Spring
Break adventure or summer vacation, schedule time with us and we will help you
think through all the potential issues that could arise so that you can make
the best decisions for you and your kids. We’ll start by carefully selecting
both local and long-distance temporary guardians who can respond quickly in an
emergency, considering factors like their proximity to your vacation
destination, their ability to travel on short notice, and their familiarity
with your children's needs.
Then, we’ll support you in
creating an emergency response plan that outlines exactly what should happen in
various scenarios. This includes who should be contacted first, in what order,
and what immediate actions they should take.
Importantly, your plan should be
easily accessible to designated guardians and include clear instructions for
first responders or authorities who might need to reference it in an emergency.
We will help you with this, by making sure you have access to the documents you
need, and ensuring your chosen guardians know exactly how to access the
information and documents they need. We will also be here to support them in
case of an emergency so they know exactly what to do.
Making these arrangements isn't
about dwelling on worst-case scenarios – it's about creating peace of mind so
you can fully enjoy your vacation. With proper protection in place, you can
focus on creating wonderful memories with your children instead of worrying
about "what-if" scenarios. Think of it as travel insurance for your
children's wellbeing - something you hope you'll never need but will be
incredibly grateful to have if an emergency arises.
Your Next Steps for Peace of
Mind
As your Personal Family LawyerⓇ
Firm, we support you to create a comprehensive Life & Legacy Plan that
includes a Kids Protection Plan so your children are always protected, no
matter where your travels take you. Take the first step today by booking a Life
& Legacy Planning Session, where you’ll get educated on what will happen if
you become incapacitated and when you die so you can make the very best
decisions for your loved ones. From that place of empowerment, we’ll then work
together to create your comprehensive Life & Legacy Plan that gives you
peace of mind, knowing you’ve done all you can for the people you love most.
Book a call today to get started:
https://calendly.com/myachorlaw/15min
This article is a service of Attorney John F. Koenig, Anchor
Law, Life and Legacy Planning, LLC, a Personal Family Lawyer® Firm. We don’t
just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about
life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a
comprehensive Life & Legacy Planning Session™, during which you will get
more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best
choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to
schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session™.
The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use
by Personal Family Lawyer® Firms, a source believed to provide accurate
information. This material was created for educational and informational
purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice.
If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services
must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.
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