How Parental Fitness Determinations Determine Child Custody In Florida

How Parental Fitness Determinations Determine Child Custody in FloridaIn Florida, parental fitness is considered when making determinations of child custody. This means that the court will take into account the physical and emotional health of both the parents, as well as the child’s best interests. The courts also look at whether one parent has been violent or abusive towards the other and whether either parent is unfit to have custody of the child based on their criminal record or mental health issues.

Florida Statute Section 61.13(3) provides that if a court determines that “the best interest of the child” would be served by awarding custody to one parent over the other, then custody shall be awarded to the parent who is more fit to care for the child. This statute is known as the “best interest of the child” test, and it is used to determine whether a custody order should be granted.

The Consequences of Failing to Meet Parental Fitness Standards

Florida parents are often faced with the consequences of not meeting the set parental fitness standards. This is a major issue because it can have a big impact on custody in family law matters. If a parent does not meet fitness standards, then their children may be taken away from them and placed with another parent who meets the fitness standard.

This could have serious consequences for the children, including loss of custody and access to their parents. This could also have serious consequences for the parent, including loss of custody and access to their child(ren).

It is thus important for parents to understand their parental fitness standards so that they can meet them and protect their children.

Our family law attorneys are focused on efficiently and effectively preparing clients for the most difficult circumstances. The attorneys at HAWM law have experience dealing with an array of family law matters and can prepare the necessary and often unique strategy and tools that your family may require.

What Happens if Both Parents Fail to Meet the Parental Fitness Standard?

As you can see, in Florida, when it comes to child custody, meeting fitness standards is one of the most important factors. Unfortunately, sometimes, both parents might not be able to meet these fitness standards. If they’re addicted to drugs or alcohol, for example, this will obviously have a negative impact on their ability to care for their child. Alternatively, if they’re suffering from mental health issues or are incapacitated, this could also mean that they are not able to provide adequate care.

In these cases, the court may grant custody to someone else.

What Can You Do to Improve Your Parental Fitness Standard to Get Child Custody and Visitation

There are a few things that you can do to improve your parental fitness standard in order to get child custody and visitation.

First, you may want to undergo treatment or counseling in order to better understand your behavior and learn how to better communicate with your children. Second, you may want to make changes to your lifestyle in order to improve your health and well-being. Finally, you may want to work with a lawyer in order to achieve the most favorable outcome for your situation. A skilled attorney can present your case in such a way that it presents you in a much better light, among other things.

You need to speak with an attorney at our firm if you would like to get the best shot at custody and visitation with your kids. We are experienced in this area of family law and would be happy to help.

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