When most people think of Family Law, they imagine a couple going through a heated divorce, attempting to determine who gets what in the division of marital assets. If there are children in the marriage, issues such as child custody and child support may instead take priority, but the truth is that many people only consider Family Law as a legal area that handles issues related to marriage and the dissolution of marriage.
While these issues are certainly important, there are other aspects of Family Law that you may not consider, which could have a significant impact on your life. For example, did you know that child custody is not always a dispute between divorcing couples, but could be a dispute between a happily married couple and the government? Depending on certain circumstances, Child Protective Services may determine that you and your spouse are not fit parents, and thus should not be raising the child.
Such incidents have seen a somewhat alarming increase in Taylor County, Texas, where officials claim that many parents are testing positive for methamphetamine. Even more concerning is that children are testing positive for the drug as well. The vast majority of CPS cases in the county, as many as 90 percent, involve the drug, and these incidents have contributed to there being more than twice the amount of cases filed between January and October of this year when compared to the same period last year.
No matter what the circumstances, children always want to stay with their parents, and government officials usually do what they can to keep families together. However, if they truly believe that parents are unfit to safely raise children, custody will likely be taken. Depending on certain circumstances of evidence, CPS may take custody of your children away, and you will have to fight for your right to gain back that custody. Enlisting the aid of a Family Law attorney can help you prove that you are a fit parent and that you deserve to have custody of your children.
Source: Big Country Home Page, “Child Protective Services Cases Continue To Rise In Taylor Country,” Dayne Marae, Nov. 9, 2015