If you have children and are considering a divorce in Connecticut then you need to make sure you know the child custody laws. Knowing and understanding these laws is important as it may have an effect on your child custody decisions. Being aware of these laws could be an important influence as you take the next step in the divorce process.
Luckily in Connecticut parents are typically allowed to draw up with their own custody arrangement if they are able to agree. If you’re able to have your attorney present an agreement that has been made by both parties to the court and the agreement appears to be in the best interests of the children, them the court will usually approve.
What is does it mean to ‘in the best interests of the child?’
There are different meanings when it comes “in the best interests of the child” and the Connecticut courts will think different things to the term. One thing that is strongly considered is the environment of the home and the ability for the parties to care for the child. There is another thing that is strongly considered is that both parents are very active in the child’s life. This is something that Connecticut child custody laws have deemed to be very important.
IN order for both parents to be active in the child’s life, it takes a willingness from both parties. If you have one parent who is talking bad to the child about the other parent bad or if they involved the child in their arguments then this could effect the custody. The courts might grant more custody to one parent over the other. This could deem a parent as not in the best interest of the child.
What does joint custody mean to parents?
In state of Connecticut actually has two types of child custody that need to be determined: physical and legal. Physical means whoever the child is dwelling with. So when both parents have been awarded joint custody then both of the parents have equal (or close to equal) time with the child and where the child
lives. The child is staying and living with both parents equally. There isn’t a dwelling that gets exceedingly more time than the other and the physical custody of the child is case to equal.
Now legal custody means that the right to make the life choices for the child is given to a parent. Life choices includes things like educational decisions, medical and healthcare decisions and religious decisions. If joint legal custody is awarded to both parents, then both parents will have the right to make those important decisions.
The Connecticut courts care strongly about your child’s best interests, but as a parent, you probably have strong feelings about what you feel is “best” for your child too. If a divorce is happening then it is in your best interest and the interest of the other parent to work together. You will both want to work with your attorneys so you can come together on a child custody agreement. If you can come together without the courts involvement then that could be in the best interest of the child. However if the courts have to get involved then that is okay too. We are here to help and assistant you through this tough time and to ensure that the interest of the children is 100% being met.
Contact the Law Offices of Keith Anthony at (860) 333-6455. Attorney Keith Anthony can help you navigate thru this process, step by step.
