Grandparents encouraged to plan ahead for child custody

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Arizona families come in all shapes and sizes. Nationally, it is becoming more common for grandparents to file for child custody. There is a wide variety of reasons a grandparent may want to take such action on behalf of a grandchild, but if the biological parents are not up to the task, a grandparent might just save the day.

Grandparents that pursue child custody want to make sure the grandchildren they love are well cared for and have access to a safe home, proper medical care, adequate nutrition, and other factors that help a child grow up healthy and happy. If a biological parent has an issue that prevents the individual from raising a child, such as addiction, mental health issues, or lack of a stable home environment, a child may end up in foster care or another form of state custody. To prevent this, grandparents and/or other relatives may step up and assume the task of raising the children.

Though many grandparents have plenty of life left in them and enjoy assuming an active parental role, advanced age is something to plan around. If a grandparent that has custody of a grandchild becomes incapacitated or passes away, the child may end up in limbo. Experts suggest that steps be taken to form a plan and have legal guardians lined up for a child in the event that a grandparent can no longer raise the child.

Though planning for death or illness may sound a bit morbid, it is actually a step that can be taken to protect a potentially helpless child. An experienced family law attorney in Arizona can help a client establish, modify or enforce a child custody order. The lawyer can also help create contingency plans based on the best interests of the child and the particular circumstances presented.