Child custody battles, and the ensuing oversight of law enforcement in the child’s upbringing, can feel like unwarranted intrusion into family matters. However, child custody laws are designed with the child’s well being in mind and, where warranted, most children will benefit from state intervention. The primary aim of any child custody judgement is to secure the safety and wellbeing of the child, for this reason alone child custody laws protect and safeguard kids.

Child custody judgements come in a variety of forms which generally depend upon the makeup of the family and the circumstances of the judgement. Lets take a look at the two most common court judgements and ask: How do child custody laws help kids?

- Joint custody. In the event that both parents or guardians of a child or children demonstrate a willingness and practical ability to care for the children jointly a judge will favour a joint custody ruling. This decision essentially awards both parents / guardians joint legal and physical custody of the children, and is therefore subject to the partners agreeing some kind of schedule to share time with the kids.

- Sole custody. In the event that joint custody is objectionable due to geography, accommodation or, in extreme cases, forms of abuse or lawlessness by one or both guardian’s; sole custody will be awarded to one parent, or grandparent. This entails the guardian taking full legal and physical responsibility for the child. To off-set this, a judge may award visitation rights to the absent parent or, if the separation is amicable, will advise the couple to establish their own visitation schedule.

The use of these two key judgements, when combined with the visitation rights consideration, provides a simple but powerful set of rules to govern a parent’s access to their children. It should be remembered that a judges prime directive is to take whatever action is most beneficial (or least damaging) to the child and so will always favour a joint custody decision if it is practical and safe.

Child custody laws are, by their nature, enforceable by the court. This adds another level of protection to the child in that once a court decision has been made, a parent can petition law enforcement to take action if the terms of the ruling are being ignored.

This can take many forms, such as: A parent who has lost legal custody of their child demanding time beyond their visitation agreement. A legal guardian not fulfilling their duties to protect and care for the child. A partner not fulfilling their half of care for the child if a joint custody agreement has been reached, and so on.

In any situation where child custody is considered by a judge, the primary factor that all other concerns are weighed against is the overall welfare of the child in any given scenario. It should be clear then, that whatever custody arrangement is chosen, the choice is likely to be the most beneficial one for the child.

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