Joint custody with non-parent?

[Bloopy]

A friend of mine raised her younger half-brother and he was living with her for nine consecutive years and about a two-year stretch prior to that. He went to live with his mother’s for 8 month’s had has come back to his sister’s to “stay”. He’s fifteen and has been back for four months. Sister and Mom have agreed to some type of joint custody to make going to doctor’s visits etc. easier. These things are getting sticker as the years go by. Sister has been able to take him to his pediatrician appointments. However, dentists are tighter with HIPPA and won’t allow Sister to take him. The mother is “too busy” to ever take him to the dentist and is never reachable during a crisis.

I know this is a no no but the boy is on his sister’s medical and dental insurance. Even as half-siblings they conveniently have the same last name.

What is the simplest way to make this all tidy? Sister doesn’t want to “rock the boat” or upset her mother who, “is who she is.” To Sister’s knowledge, there is no named father but this could resurrect sleeping demons.

Could the Sister end up owing support to her Mother if she goes joint with her Mother? Mother gets some sort of aid for the boy that has barely ever lived with her.

 

[LdiJ]

A friend of mine raised her younger half-brother and he was living with her for nine consecutive years and about a two-year stretch prior to that. He went to live with his mother’s for 8 month’s had has come back to his sister’s to “stay”. He’s fifteen and has been back for four months. Sister and Mom have agreed to some type of joint custody to make going to doctor’s visits etc. easier. These things are getting sticker as the years go by. Sister has been able to take him to his pediatrician appointments. However, dentists are tighter with HIPPA and won’t allow Sister to take him. The mother is “too busy” to ever take him to the dentist and is never reachable during a crisis.

I know this is a no no but the boy is on his sister’s medical and dental insurance. Even as half-siblings they conveniently have the same last name.

What is the simplest way to make this all tidy? Sister doesn’t want to “rock the boat” or upset her mother who, “is who she is.” To Sister’s knowledge, there is no named father but this could resurrect sleeping demons.

Could the Sister end up owing support to her Mother if she goes joint with her Mother? Mother gets some sort of aid for the boy that has barely ever lived with her.

They can certainly agree to joint custody. However, it definitely could effect any aid that the mother is receiving, if it becomes known that the child is not living with the mother. Therefore, its quite possible that she would NOT agree to any form of joint custody.

As far as the dentist is concerned, the mother can give the sister a medical power of attorney, which would allow the sister to handle his medical care, without problems.