Ideally, you and your children’s other parent will get along enough to have a reasonable relationship that allows you to properly care for your little ones. However, this is not always the case.
If your situation involves violence, you may want to approach child custody matters in a different way. You have to think about your safety and the children’s safety above all else. One important detail to take care of as soon as possible is to get a custody order.
Custody order
Having a custody order in place lays out your legal rights as a parent. It gives the court authority over the situation so that if the other parent tries to take away your rights, you can seek help from the court. It also gives you legal standing when it comes to issues surrounding custody. The court may issue an emergency custody order if it feels that is necessary to protect the children.
Consideration
When the court decides your custody matters, the judge will take the domestic violence accusations or evidence into account. The court’s ultimate goal is to provide a safe environment for the children. They will consider how the violence impacted the kids and if they have been victims of physical abuse. It could result in the other parent receiving reduced access to the children.
Ideally, if you have domestic violence in your relationship, you need to make sure to report it. You want to get reports and evidence to back up your claims. The court will need this proof that something has happened to make an informed decision when it comes to your child custody case.