Ideally, you and your spouse will have agreed upon a suitable custody arrangement during your divorce. If not, then the court will have stepped in and arranged something based on the best interests of the child.
While such an order is legally binding, it isn’t always going to remain suitable. Life is constantly changing, especially the life of a child as they grow up. The current arrangement may no longer be suitable and the court may make modifications if evidence of this is provided.
What are some of the more common reasons for the family court to modify custody?
A pattern of disobedience
Sadly, you and your former spouse were not able to agree upon a custody arrangement, so the court stepped in. They set out a custody schedule and it suited you fine. The problem is that your ex did not agree with it.
They were late in dropping the child off one day, and you put it down to an honest error. However, this is a pattern that they displayed over and over again. They are clearly disobeying the custody order on purpose. If you can show evidence of this, then it’s possible that the family court will make modifications to try and rectify the situation.
The child’s safety
Your former spouse is a good parent but they are having a tough time just now. They’ve developed some health issues that might impact their ability to look after the children. In such circumstances, the court may consider modifying custody so that your spouse has supervised visitation until they recover. Generally, this is only done on a temporary basis.
The well-being of the child
All custody rulings are centered around the best interests of the child. If your child is struggling mentally, with academic performance, or in any other way, a custody modification can be considered.
To ensure that you obtain the best possible custody arrangement for your child, it will benefit you greatly to seek some legal guidance.
