Time with children is a precious commodity. They grow up very fast, and anyone with an emotional connection to a child wants to enjoy as much time with them as possible.
If you are a parent navigating separation or divorce, contact one of our experienced lawyers about visitation rights in Southbury. Our highly skilled visitation attorneys can provide sound advice and strong guidance to help you preserve and enhance your relationship with your children.
Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-56 is a crucial legal framework that governs custody and visitation rights for children. This law is designed to protect the best interests of the children, presuming that meaningful contact between parents and children is beneficial, unless evidence suggests otherwise.
When one parent has primary physical custody of the children, the other parent is typically granted substantial visitation or parenting time. Courts encourage parents to negotiate with each other to establish an appropriate and workable schedule for sharing time with the children.
Ideally, parents work together to create a parenting plan, which they must submit to the judge for approval. The law requires the plan address the parenting time schedule for the upcoming year, including provisions for where the children will spend the holidays that the family observes. A Southbury visitation rights attorney can review a parenting plan that parents negotiate to ensure it meets legal requirements.
Judges in Connecticut family courts base all decisions regarding children on the children’s best interests. When a judge determines that spending time with a parent is not in a child’s best interest, the court can restrict or limit visitation. In most cases, limited visitation means that another responsible adult will be present while the parent spends time with their children.
Courts often impose supervised visitation when parents have active substance misuse issues or unmanaged mental health challenges. Parents who engage in physical violence or verbal abuse toward their family members also may be limited to supervised visitation time.
When a parent has been absent from a child’s life for a considerable period, courts may deny or limit visitation. The court may appoint a guardian ad litem, a neutral third party, to ascertain whether visitation is in the child’s best interests. A Southbury lawyer can assist either parent in issues concerning visitation rights for a parent who has not been involved in the child’s life.
Children often form close ties with people other than their parents. Sometimes, family disputes or the end of a relationship between co-parents disrupt these bonds.
Grandparents, stepparents, former partners of parents, and others can seek visitation with a child in certain limited circumstances. The person seeking contact must prove that they had a parental role in the child’s life and that severing the relationship between them would be harmful to the child.
Visitation with non-parents can be accomplished through negotiation. A family lawyer can help a parent and non-parent negotiate an agreement permitting the non-parents to visit with a child.
Visitation rights in Southbury are not automatic for either parents or others involved in a child’s life. It is crucial to seek the guidance of a dedicated lawyer early in the process to ensure your rights are protected.
The attorneys at our firm have experience resolving visitation issues in various scenarios. Contact us for assistance if you need help understanding and pursuing your visitation rights.
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