Child Custody

Evaluators Take A Close Look At Custody Cases

Divorce is hard enough, but custody battles often make separation even harder. Custody evaluators may be necessary in cases where there are visitation and custodianship disputes. Evaluators are trained psychologists that can help the courts determine the best possible resolution for custody issues through the use of tests, interviews or other methods. These evaluations examine the involved parties to determine the health, welfare and safety of the children and what will be best for them. The examination that these evaluators provide and their results are often used to help courts determine visitation and custodianship issues.

Many times, separating spouses can’t come to amicable agreements about who will have full custody of the children and whether visitation will be allowed at all. In cases like these, custody evaluators may be required by the court to establish whether disputes are well founded or warranted. The course of action the court takes in these cases is often determined by what is discovered at the end of the evaluation period. The evaluator is usually trained psychologist experienced in custody matters and may be recommended or chosen by your lawyer. In cases of shared custody or the desire for full custody, they may be necessary in the fight for your parental rights.
Custody Evaluators Aren’t Always Necessary

Employing a custody evaluator’s services may add several thousand dollars to the cost of divorce. It would be much better if a separating couple could simply use a custody mediator in order to come to an amicable agreement upon custody matters. However, in cases of abuse or negligence that may not be an option that you can reasonably accept. It is at times like these that a custody evaluation becomes very important. The results can help to strengthen cases of those requesting full custody and those that involve removal of all visitation rights.

Custody evaluators aren’t always necessary in all cases. Divorces where couples have come to agreements regarding custody not be legally required to use an evaluator. However the laws vary from state to state, so it’s important to examine the issue carefully and discuss the matter with a lawyer if you have concerns. Custody evaluators work with the child’s best interest in mind. Seeking evaluation can run into several thousands of dollars so you should make sure you’re seeking custody for all the right reasons. Those seeking custody as a revenge or using the children as pawns in a divorce may find themselves losing both monetarily and even more.

Who should have the final say when it comes to custody of your children? Well Pennsylvania child custody laws say that the court knows what’s best for you and your children no matter what agreement divorcing spouses decide upon. If you thought that simply agreeing to share joint custody of your children or deciding that the child would be better of with “mom” or “dad” was all it would take, then you need to pay attention to this article. Parents in Pennsylvania are in for a rude awakening when it comes to divorce and custody because in the end it’s the courts, not them, that get the final say in the matter.

It may be hard to believe that no matter what decision you and your spouse agree to that a court could simply throw out your decision. But that is exactly what Pennsylvania child custody law provides. The court system itself is firmly seated upon the stance that a judge is the best authority for deciding what is best for the children. In fact, the utmost importance is place upon both parents being a part of the child’s life. The laws of the state of Pennsylvania are there to assure that children of a divorce are going to get the love and contact they need from both parents. It may seem that this is the law delving too deeply into a couples personal lives and decisions. However, in some ways it humanizes the process by removing problems of petty arguing and bickering over various custody issues like who gains sole or joint custody custodianship.
Grandparents Win With Pennsylvania Child Custody Laws

Pennsylvania child custody laws do address some issues that other states don’t even take into consideration. There are provisions included within the child custody laws for the legal rights of grandparents. Many states don’t take into considerations a grandparent’s desire or rights to see their grandchildren. Some states do not give them any visitation rights at all. In this matter families are fortunate because all too often in this country, a parent with sole custody can deny grandparents any chance of seeing their grandchildren at all. In Pennsylvania, if one parent dies a court can grant the grandparents partial custody or visitation rights. They may even seek custody if the grandchild has lived with them for 12 months, but all this stems on the grandparents not being in conflict with the remaining parent.