In the contemporary society, there are many people who are concerned as how to apply for child custody. In order to provide them proper guidance, there are certain steps that are required to be considered by them. Firstly, it is necessary for the person applying for child custody to meet all the Virginia custody cases’ residency laws. The child should have lived in the respective state for a mentioned period under the laws before the petition is filed for the child’s custody. After ensuring this, the respective parent needs to get in touch with the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court and arrange an appointment for getting all the custody forms.
How to apply for child custody has become the most common question that comes in the minds of the individual, who is thinking of getting the custody of his/her child. After understanding the initial steps, the respective person is required to prepare a proper petition for custody that mainly emphasizes on the factors that are used by State of Virginia to consider what points are in the child’s best interests. There are several factors that are required to be considered by the judges when providing guidance on how to apply for child custody. Some of these include the mental and physical condition of the child, and the age of child.
In addition, the ages of the parents are also considered by the judges along with their mental and physical conditions. Moreover, the relationships of child with the parents, siblings as well as with the extended family are considered. Along with all these factors, the history of the parents as caregivers, and willingness of each parent to support the bond of the child with the other parent. Most importantly, the family abuse’s history and the preference of child is considered by the courts.
Determining all these factors, eventually provides a clear view to the client who is seeking an advice as how to apply for child custody. There is another point that need to be considered when filing a petition for the child custody. This includes the presence of domestic violence in the case of respective child whose custody’s petition is filed. If it is found by the court that the parent filing for the custody has been abusive with his/her child, then the court restricts the right to custody to that parent. Also, the visitations of such parent are limited by the court. Therefore, it can be stated that all those people who asks this question how to apply for child custody from any lawyer for seeking legal advice should first deem all these points on priority. Once all the points aforementioned are clear to the respective parent, he/she can easily file a petition for the child custody case. After fulfilling all the requirements, the respective parent is required to sing all the relevant documents and pay all the fee of filing petition for child custody along with completing all the requirements mentioned in the official court forms.