Parents in Charlotte who are getting a divorce might think that, if they feel their child is unsafe with the other parent because of alcohol or drug abuse, it will be easy to get a court to act. However, the process is not always that straightforward.
One court ruled that even though a father drank nightly, this did not mean he imbibed when he had the children. Parents will usually need documentation to get a court to act. Ideally, this would be something like police reports, but in the absence of such evidence, parents might get testimony from a child care provider or neighbor. If a court does determine that a parent may be a danger to the child, psychological testing or a blood test might be required.
Parents can keep records that will help them in case of a custody battle. This should include records of any conflict with the other parent and actions such as taking the child to the doctor. One man was worried that his wife would drink and drive with their 7-year-old son in the car. Although he had been the main caregiver for the child throughout their marriage, with divorce looming, she cut off contact with him. He would still probably need documentation to show she was a danger to the child.
In a case like that one, the father could probably get help from the court to get access to the child since both parents have this right. One problem that may arise during a divorce is that some parents think differences in parenting approaches makes the other parent unfit. A court will generally not view it this way. Furthermore, it may hurt a parent’s custody case if the parent appears to be uncooperative.
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