When a married couple decides to separate or get a divorce and there are children involved in the relationship, there is a child visitation or child custody order that will be issued. The court reviews each case and decides what will be the best for the children of the marriage. Once the couple agrees, visitation or custody orders might be able to be resolved during mediation.
There are some situations where one of the parents may wish to make modifications to visitation or custody orders. Some of the reasons that this might occur include:
- Belief the child is in danger
- Moving out of the area/state
- Current order not being followed.
- Incarceration or death of a custodial parent
Child visitations can be modified if the current order is no longer working for one or both of the parents. Courts allow visitation modifications for specific and valid reasons. A parent cannot just decide that they now want to spend more time with the child/children. Once a parent comes up with a valid reason for changing the visitation order, a petition needs to be followed and all of the requirements of the state and jurisdiction will need to be met.