Child custody decisions impact the entire family, including the extended family members of both parents. The relationships that children have with parents, siblings, and other family members influence how courts will decide on the child’s custody.
When parents establish a fair custody agreement, extended family relationships can remain intact. But conflicts can arise in other cases.
You need to work with a family law attorney who can help you secure child custody while looking after the best interests of the child and family members.
How Custody Decisions Are Made
Your child’s best interests are the main focus of the courts when determining child custody. Court judges may even deny an agreement made by both parents if it threatens the long-term wellbeing of the child.
The parent who serves as the primary caretaker usually receives custody rights according to the circumstances of each case. This is determined by the extent to which a parent helps the child with their personal grooming, meals, health care, and schooling.
Other factors that affect the court’s decision include the child’s preferences, the health of the parents, the stability of the home environment, changes to schooling, and the relationships they have with other family members.
Family law courts want to maintain consistency in the child’s daily life. In addition to preventing any changes in the child’s education and daily life, relationships with extended family members help create a consistent routine.
Child Custody
Parents can share custody in most cases. But custody may also be exclusively granted to one parent. Custody can also be split according to legal and physical custody.
Legal custody gives you the right to make important decisions related to the child’s upbringing. Physical custody declares which parent the child lives with.
Extended family members may also be granted custody or visitation rights. This is usually done when he parents are absent from the child’s life for long periods of time.
Any person who gains custody rights must be viewed by the courts as someone who will serve to meet the best interests of the child.
Temporary Custody and Extended Family Members
Temporary custody may be granted to extended family members. This allows the child to live with another family member without removing the custody rights from the parents.
It gives the custodial family member the legal authority to make decisions related to your child’s education, health care, and other needs. The parents will retain the same rights alongside the extended family member.
Temporary custody may only be granted when both parents agree to give those rights to another person. This commonly occurs when the parents must travel away from the child or when a health issue interferes with the parents’ ability to provide the necessary care.
Incarceration of parents and other issues can also result in the need for a temporary custody agreement.
Extended family members can play an important role in the child custody decisions made in the divorce. The relationships established between the child and other family members are a factor used in custody cases.
Understanding the impacts family members have on custody decisions helps you choose the right plan to care for your child during and after your divorce. You create a more secure upbringing for your child and protect the needs of the entire family.