Changes are a normal part of our journey through life, and sometimes they affect the agreements we have in place. If you are a divorced parent, a significant change in circumstances may necessitate modification to your child custody agreement.
Any requested changes to such an agreement must be in the best interests of the children involved. You can engage the services of an experienced family law attorney who understands the court process and knows how the judge is likely to respond to your petition.
Reasons for change
There are many reasons a parent might request changes to the allocation of parental responsibilities. For example, one of the children may now be a teenager with feelings of hostility, largely due to the divorce. You are not relating well to one another and you believe it would be best if he went to live with the other parent.
On the other hand, you might have discovered that the other parent has become addicted to drugs, is not supervising the children properly and leaves them alone for long periods of time. In this case, you will want the custody agreement changed so the children can live with you. The court will often be able to make a decision quickly when reviewing serious issues concerned with physical custody.
The job opportunity
Employment changes are among the most common reasons for modifying a child custody agreement. Your employer may have laid you off due to company downsizing and now you are looking for another job. Because of this, you will not be able to meet your child support payments, and modification is in order. On the brighter side, you might have received a promotion but would have to move to another city. This, of course, would directly affect the visitation terms in your original agreement.
Rely on legal assistance
If you believe you have a legitimate reason for requesting child custody modification, keep in mind that the court will require proof that your request is valid. You can provide the evidence to your attorney, who will use it as the basis for crafting a petition that can find favor with the court.
