Child Custody

Connecticut Child Custody Law

At the law firm of Swerdloff & Swerdloff in West Hartford, Connecticut, we will help you navigate issues such as child custody and access after divorce. Access is the term used to describe parenting time in Connecticut, and it refers to how much time each parent spends with the children. It is what used to be called child visitation.

In Connecticut, there is a preference for joint custody of children after divorce. Joint custody means that both parties have equal responsibility for major life decisions, education decisions, health decisions, decisions regarding extracurricular activities, religious upbringing, as well as the emotional issues that arise from time to time while raising children. An effective child custody order should address all of those issues.

Joint custody does not necessarily mean that each parent will have the children 50 percent of the time. However, such an arrangement can be negotiated. There are many ways of effectuating joint child custody in Connecticut. The traditional arrangement of Mom having primary residential custody and Dad getting the kids every other weekend and on opposite Wednesdays is no longer the rule. Now there are many more child custody and access (visitation) variations and we will work to find an arrangement that is acceptable to both parties and that maintains a good quality of life for the children.

Whether we represent the Father or the Mother in a child custody dispute, our approach as family law attorneys is to help you restructure your family, not destroy it. We want to make certain that the divorce process is as minimally destructive to you and your children as possible.

Children are always emotionally impacted by divorce. However, when either one of the parties use the children to hurt or manipulate the other party, the child custody process becomes damaging psychologically and emotionally to the children. It may cause permanent damage to the children. In the extreme child custody fight, one parent tries—and sometimes succeeds—in alienating the children from the other parent. We are experienced in cases of parental alienation and can help to successfully combat it.

We agree with the wisdom espoused by OurFamilyWizard.com: "The innocence of children, their dreams and well being should not be lost with the break up of a family".

One of the more complicated issues which sometimes follows divorce is interstate child custody. When one party wants to relocate, the court will consider the best interests of the children in deciding whether to allow such a move. There are some uniform laws that prevent one parent from picking up and leaving with the children without court approval, including the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) and the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA). These laws generally require states to recognize other states’ child custody determinations. They also provide a means to make and enforce child custody determinations.

Our law office is conveniently located in a building with an elevator and free parking, one mile from Interstate 84, in the center of West Hartford, at 61 South Main Street, Suite 205.

If you have a question or concern about child custody or any other family law matter, we invite you to contact attorneys Mark and Ileen Swerdloff today.