Child Visitation Visitation Rights and Guidelines

If one of the parents' past behavior includes drug abuse or violence, their visitation rights may be limited as a way of protecting the safety of the child. Child visitation laws have also been set up to look at the parent's circumstances before granting custody. If a parent has poor living conditions, they may not have the right to any sort of custody except for supervised visits. The primary goal of child visitation laws is to take into account which parent could provide the safest and most stable living environment for the child. Find a child visitation lawyer to protect the rights of the children.

If the parents of the children are married, then each parent has equal parental rights under child visitation laws until a court order is officially made. If the parents have never been married then the mother of the child has sole legal and physical custody until a court order is established. Although certain tenets of child visitation laws vary state by state, all states follow common guidelines when it comes to child visitation law.

While each parent generally has a right to see their child and take an active role in their life, there are times when the court will decide that it is not beneficial to the child. Cases are rare when a parent is denied any right to see the child at all. Investigation of one's state child visitation laws through their local family court is suggested, as certain state child visitation laws that might conflict with general child custody laws. Although some parents choose to make their own visitation schedule, they still must follow their state child visitation laws.

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