Most Florida judges aim to keep kids and their parents together whenever they can. They do this because they believe that it’s in the best interests of the children to do so. Some instances are just too serious that it becomes impossible to allow a parent to continue having custody of their child. It’s in these instances when judges often award sole custody to only one parent.
Any parent who is accused of abusing or neglecting their child is likely to be investigated by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). If child protective services deems that some type of ill-treatment toward their son or daughter occurred, then the judge will likely take away their custody rights. Judges may require the parent who loses custody to take a parenting class or that they complete various supervised visitation sessions before ultimately restoring their custody rights.
Another reason that parents have custody of their kids taken away from them is because they engage in or fall victim to domestic violence. That’s right. Parents who suffer domestic violence are just as much if not more vulnerable to lose custody of their kids than those moms and dads who inflict the violence. Fort Myers judges often fear that parents who have been victimized may be depressed or too vulnerable to adequately take care of their kids.
Florida judges may also remove custody of a child from a parent who has committed a crime or who has some type of problem with substance abuse. The court is particularly apt to remove custody from a parent who violates some kind of restraining or protection order.
There are many types of events that may result in a parent being deprived of custody of their kids. It can be hard regaining rights to see them once it’s been taken away. An attorney can guide you as to how to preserve your access to your kids especially if you’ve been threatened with having them taken away from you. Your Fort Myers lawyer can let you know what you can do to regain your rights as well if you’ve already been deprived of your access to them.
