Information Regarding Child Custody Assessment Tools

By Michael McDonald


Practically, all courts use a certain technique while coming to a conclusion about which parent a child is supposed to live with in cases of separation or divorce. One thing is for sure, the technique has to have the childs welfare in its outcome. In regards to the child custody assessment tools, there have been cases where a judge has given an order for both parents to undergo a drug test failure to which a parent may lose custody.

Can custody be given to only one parent? This is not a certain outcome. Partial custody can be awarded to both parents which is also called joint custody. It takes three forms. Joint physical custody whereby they spend times with the kids, joint legal custody in which both parents participate in decision making and the last one takes both joint physical custody and joint legal custody.

Guardianship was given to mothers particularly of the children who were under the age of five years long ago. Nowadays, both mothers and fathers have the same chance in getting the guardianship as long as they are physically fit to live with the parents. The parent who has more good qualities will get the custody no matter the gender.

There are instances when one parent moves out and leaves the children with the other parent. This will hurt the chances of the parent who moved out to get custody of the children. This is because he has already sent out a message that he is not suitable for physical custody. The judge will also be reluctant to change the physical location of the kids.

A parents routine will also determine if he/she can get custody or not. A parent that smokes and consumes alcohol is considered unsuitable to live with these children since their health will be at risk. This is not the best environment for any child. Other social factors will also be considered. A judge will not grant custody to a parent who has been accused of child abuse before.

To be able to live with your child, there are a lot of requirements you have to fulfill as a parent. You should be living in a fixed location so that you do not have to change your kids to be living in an environment they are not familiar with. You have to provide for the kids the basics like food, clothes and medical care. Your emotional bond with the kids has to be strong.

The sexual orientation of a parent fighting for custody has been a topic in most states. Some states do not mind a parents sexual orientation and can get custody as long as they can provide for them. In some states though, being gay equals reducing your chances at getting custody and in some cases being denied visitation rights.

Sometimes, all these dynamics does not favor a parent over the other. What will the court do? The other option for the court is to consider the guardian who will nurture a better bond between the children and the other parent who will not get custody. Most likely the parent will be the primary caregiver since birth and can give the same lifestyle to the children as they are used to.




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