Generally, child custody orders are issued in legal separations, divorce actions, and paternity actions. What many parents don’t realize at first is that the family courts see child custody orders as open-ended. Meaning, they are subject to change.
There are many valid reasons why a child custody order may need to be changed. Often, child custody orders are modified because the child’s needs or activities change, because of a job change, a new spouse, a relocation, an illness or a disability.
Sometimes, the child simply gets older and it makes sense to everybody to have the child move in with the noncustodial parent simply because the child grows closer to that parent and a change would be healthy for the entire family.
Modifying a Child Custody Order in Colorado
Apart from the reasons listed above, sometimes a child custody order is changed by the court due to parental alienation. Parental alienation is where one parent is intentionally badmouthing the other parent to the child.
If the custodial parent bars the noncustodial parent from seeing his or her child during their court-ordered parenting time, it could backfire on the custodial parent. In some circumstances, the court can actually change custody and have the alienated parent take custody of the child.
Changing Custody & Child Support Orders
Are you interested in changing the current child custody order? If so, it’s important to get the changes in writing and have the court issue a new child custody order. Even if you have a verbal agreement with the other parent, it cannot be legally-enforced until the court makes it into a court order.
Also, when child custody is changed, it’s important to think about child support and whether it will need to be changed too. If you and the other parent agree to a significant change, for example, if you have been the noncustodial parent and now your child will be living with you most of the time, surely, you won’t want to be paying your ex child support when he or she should be paying you. Whoever has the child more of the time is typically the one to receive child support.
For legal assistance with a child custody modification and possibly a child support modification, don’t hesitate to contact us at Jones Law Firm, PC.
