Parents Lose Child Custody: Colorado is considered one of the most divorce-prone states, especially after being in 10th place in the divorce rate rankings. It had a divorce rate of 13.52 per 1,000, with many of the formerly married couples having children together. Therefore, they ended up requiring a Denver divorce attorney to help them with various matters surrounding divorce proceedings, one of them being child custody.
Getting child custody is not that easy. If the parents do not agree on who the children should stay with or what the child’s future should look like, the process can be a very complicated and stressful one. Sometimes, one parent may lose the custody battle.
What could cause someone to lose child custody, though? Here are 7 reasons why this could happen.
Table of Contents
1 – Child Neglect
Many children experience neglect from their caretakers, something that could have consequences in the long term. Neglect is considered a type of child abuse, and it may lead to low self-esteem, as well as psychological problems and other issues.
Neglect involves not providing the child with the basic necessities, not spending time with the child, or not providing a safe and sanitary environment for him or her. If a child is neglected, then the parent responsible for the neglect can lose child custody.
However, it is quite hard to prove child neglect in court, but relatives or other people who see the little one regularly can notice the issues, and the same goes for healthcare professionals.
2 – Child Abuse
One of the main reasons why a parent could lose custody of their child is because they are abusive. Child abuse comes in many forms. It could be physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal. Any type of abuse is wrong, and it could have a negative impact on the child.
If the abuse is proven, then the abusive parent will lose custody. Also, there may be cases when the parent may say that they were simply punishing the child, not abusing him or her. In this case, the judge will have to determine the difference between appropriate punishment and straight abuse.
3 – Making False Child Abuse Allegations
Sometimes, one of the parents may falsely accuse the other of neglect. This is done in an attempt to win child custody no matter what. Accusing the other of something terrible often seems like a shortcut to obtaining more rights for the little one.
This can result in the parent making the allegations to lose custody. This also shows that the individual doesn’t care about the well-being of their child and the other parent, but only cares about achieving their goals. What’s worse is that these allegations can also ruin the life of the other parent and the kid.
4 – Abduction
When a child is abducted by one of the parents, this usually involves taking him or her to a different city, state, or country without the permission of the other parent and without planning of returning the little one to the other parent. Nobody is allowed to do this, as it prevents the other parent from spending time with their child. This can also be punished by the law.
5 – Not Wanting to Co-Parent
Many divorced parents do not want to cooperate with their former spouse in parenting their child. They let the little ones do anything they want, disregarding their safety and well-being.
In these cases, child custody can be revoked or reduced.
6 – Breaking the Child Custody Orders
If a parent keeps violating the child custody orders, especially if it’s intentional, they can lose custody. These violations could include anything such as taking major decisions for the kid’s healthcare or education without cooperating with the other parent or getting their consent or dropping off the child late to the other parent.
7 – Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is present in many marriages. When one spouse is violent against the other, child custody may be lost by the abusive partner.
Not only can domestic violence affect the child in the long term, but it may also put his or her life at risk. The abusive individual may turn to their child when they become violent. So, in most cases, judges will revoke custody from spouses who commit domestic violence.
Final Thoughts
There are many reasons why parents lose child custody, but the most common ones involve child abuse, child neglect, domestic violence, and false child neglect allegations. If you want to obtain child custody, you must avoid all of the above. In this case, your divorce proceedings can go smoothly.