For a Florida parent who struggles with addiction, maintaining visitation rights presents challenges. The court wants to ensure that any relationship you maintain with your child promotes the well-being of the child. Taking the necessary steps to prove your recovery can help you maintain a close relationship.
The process for awarding child custody
Child custody cases often take into account your addiction and state of recovery to determine your visitation rights. The court aims to act in the best interest of the child. This means that the needs of the child serve as the primary concern.
Some of the factors that determine care include the age of the child, each parent’s living situation and the impact any changes may have on the child. The physical and emotional safety of the child also comes into consideration, and you’ll want to prove that you can provide a consistent and stable routine. For older children, the judge may also ask for the child’s preference.
A judge may require you to provide proof of sobriety as a stipulation for parenting rights. This could include regular drug tests, using an alcohol monitoring program or committing to a treatment program. Maintain all documentation of your progress and take the right steps to maintain a relationship with your child.
Proving sobriety to a judge
Gaining unsupervised visitation or shared custody requires you to convince the court you have established healthy habits. Courts put the rights of children first in custody battles, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have rights as well. Make the appropriate changes and provide documentation of the positive steps you have taken.
