The termination of parental rights is an extreme measure that is appropriate in limited circumstances. Unlike decisions regarding legal or physical custody, which can be modified if circumstances change, a termination of parental rights is final and cannot be undone.
These are complex matters with lifelong implications for the parent, child, and potentially many others. If you are involved in a case regarding the termination of parental rights in Southbury, contact a seasoned child custody attorney immediately.
When a court terminates a parent’s parental rights, they may no longer consent to the child’s healthcare, access education records, or direct their religious learning and practices. The parent also has no right to custody of the child or even the right to visit. The obligation to pay child support also ends when parental rights are terminated.
A termination of parental rights almost entirely severances the legal relationship between a parent and child. The only connection that remains is that the child retains inheritance rights from that parent.
Parents are sometimes willing to consent to the termination of their parental rights, which is usually called a surrender of parental rights. However, a court will only approve a surrender of parental rights when it is in a child’s best interests, so a parent cannot surrender rights solely to avoid paying child support.
Numerous circumstances may arise that could lead a court to approve a surrender of parental rights. Common examples include when a parent:
Parents who surrender their rights typically do so when they are unable to care for the child and someone else, often a relative, is willing and able to adopt the child and provide a good home.
Once a parent’s rights are terminated, they cannot be restored. Anyone considering surrendering their parental rights should discuss the decision with a Southbury termination attorney before proceeding.
Parents have the right to raise their children. Connecticut courts will not interfere with that right, absent clear evidence that maintaining a legal relationship between the parent and child is contrary to the child’s best interests. A Southbury court considering a petition to terminate a parent’s parental rights over their objection also must find that grounds to do so exist.
Connecticut General Statutes § 45a-717 lists numerous grounds for terminating parental rights. Grounds to terminate a father’s parental rights exist when a child is conceived as a result of a rape or sexual assault. A parent’s rights can be terminated if they abandon a child, fail to meet the child’s basic needs, or abuse or neglect the child. Killing or attempting to kill the child’s other parent is also grounds for terminating parental rights.
Co-parents, guardians, and DCF may file a petition to terminate a parent’s parental rights. The party filing the petition must prove the grounds for termination and establish that termination is in a child’s best interests. Anyone involved in a termination of parental rights case in Southbury should seek representation from an experienced lawyer.
A termination of parental rights is an extreme measure. It deprives a parent of the fundamental right to raise their children, and it denies a child of their connection with their parent.
Even so, termination of parental rights in Southbury is sometimes appropriate. Speak with one of our family law attorneys if you face involuntary termination of your parental rights or seek to remove someone else’s rights.
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