Connecticut shared custody of children is more and more common in the Family Court. And greatly involving both parents in the life of children is always optimal. But not every custody case is appropriate for a shared custody arrangement. Here’s a logical way to analyze whether shared custody is right for your family. For starters,…
Immediate Temporary Custody in Connecticut can be granted to a non-relative in Probate Court if certain conditions exist. There are several different scenarios in which a Probate Court can grant Immediate Temporary Custody. However, as a practical matter, it almost involves a situation where the child is not in the physical custody of one of…
DCF Administrative Hearings are the way to contest a DCF decision. This hearing should be requested after an unsuccessful DCF Internal Review or other failed negotiations with DCF. DCF Administrative Hearings Lawyer Essentially, a DCF Administrative Hearing is an appeal when a parent or other individual disagrees with a DCF Substantiation, Central Registry placement or…
A DCF Internal Review is the first step in a DCF Appeal. If an individual accused of abuse or neglect disagrees with a DCF Substantiation finding or placement on the DCF Central Registry they must request a DCF Internal Review within 30 days of receiving the Notification of Investigation Results. I imagine that since you…
Filing a Motion for Contempt for Parental Alienation deals with the offending behavior head on. Is one parent causing the child to turn on the other? Has the parent-child relationship been damaged by the words or actions of the custodial parent? Any well drafted Parenting Plan has language that forbids parents from engaging in alienating…
A Petition for Removal of Guardian is filed in the Probate Court by using Form PC-500. The Probate Judge usually requests the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to conduct an Investigation and file a report concerning the parents, the allegations and a recommendation regarding the suitability of the proposed guardian. This can take up…
News of the Stamford Juvenile Court closing has not been well received . Not good for the parents and children who live in lower Fairfield County and even worse for those families that rely on public transportation to get to and from court appearances. No specific date has been set for the closing but it…
DCF Commitment of a child means that custody and guardianship of a child is transferred to DCF. For a child to be committed to DCF, there must be two separate court findings Adjudication of the Neglect Petition. A Juvenile Court judge must find that the child was neglected, abused or uncared for. This can…
Generally speaking juvenile delinquency in Connecticut Juvenile Court involves the violation of a state or federal law by someone under the age of 18. In other words, the police allege they have committed a crime. The Juvenile Court does not usually use the term felony or misdemeanor. Instead, the important distinction for a Connecticut delinquency…
Abandonment is the most common ground to terminate parental rights (TPR) in Connecticut. If a parent is filing the TPR it starts in the Probate Court. If DCF is involved, the TPR is filed in the local Juvenile Court. Whenever a TPR is filed, the Probate Court or Juvenile will request that DCF conduct s…