Who is often the only person capable of picking up the pieces when a child’s parents are addicted to heroin? A grandparent. Learn how more grandparents are taking custody of their grandchildren as a result of opioid and heroin addiction crisis facing families in New Jersey. Read more
President Barack Obama has officially proclaimed Sept. 18 through Sept. 24, 2016 as Opioid Epidemic Awareness Week, a first ever awareness week to highlight prevention measures for the growing heroin and opioid crisis in the United States. According to White House officials, the week will be marked by Cabinet members and federal agencies coming together to educate the public about the epidemic that has spread to every corner of our nation, including New Jersey.
As a December 2015 article on NJ.com reported, “The statistics on New Jersey’s heroin crisis are staggering, and paint a picture of a crisis that spreads far beyond overdoses and deaths.” Since 2004, there have been 5,217 heroin-related deaths in New Jersey, and the heroin death rate in the state is more than three times the national average. And, there have been over 184,000 New Jerseyans admitted into treatment facilities for heroin or opioid abuse since 2010.
Many of those who are addicted are also parents. So what does this mean for child custody? Read more
In New Jersey, issues of custody and parenting time are evaluated by the courts looking at what is in the best interests of the child. If a parent brings an allegation of drug addiction to the court, this allegation is taken very seriously and the court will inquire as to the truth of the statement. To do this, judges can order certain evaluations, such as custody and parenting time evaluations or a risk assessment. Read more
In child custody disputes, the courts will always put the best interests of children first in awarding parenting time and legal/physical custody. This usually means dividing a child’s time between their biological or adopted parents. But not always. What can happen when it’s a stepparent who is pursuing custody? Here is the story of one stepfather who gained custody of his stepdaughter and the steps he took to get it. Read more
In 2002, New Jersey began the Kinship Legal Guardianship (KLG) program for children and caregivers who were involved with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP), formally known as DYFS. There became a common trend where children who were removed from their biological parents by DCPP were being cared for by grandparents and other relatives, rather than strangers. Because of this common occurrence, the practice of Kinship Legal Guardianship was introduced as a better and more workable alternative to permanent adoption or long-term foster care.
Are you a grandparent considering becoming a kinship legal guardian to your grandchild? Here’s what you need to know. Read more
Grandparents in New Jersey have limited rights when it comes to spending time with their grandchildren. The New Jersey courts and New Jersey law are strongly behind parents when it comes to questions regarding visitation and the roles that grandparents may play in the lives of the grandkids. Trying to spend more time with your grandchildren? Here are some avenues that grandparents can take when asking the court for visitation time with their grandchildren. Read more
Last week, Big Bang actress Mayim Bialik released a YouTube video simply titled “Divorce.” In the video, the mother of two young boys “addresses what life is really like in a post-divorce world,” and how she manages co-parenting with her ex-husband Michael Stone.
So, what does Bialik, who is also a neuroscientist, recommend for successful co-parenting after divorce? She lays her plan out in three steps: Read more
Parents play a very important role in a gender-expansive and transgendered child’s life. As research shows, supportive parenting can significantly affect the transgendered child’s ability to have a positive outlook on their lives, their mental health and their self-esteem. On the other hand, research also shows that unsupportive parenting is correlated to gender-expansive and transgendered youth being more depressed and suicidal. As child psychologists who specialize in gender issues agree, the most crucial thing parents can do is allow children to be exactly who they are.
But what happens if you are a separated or divorced parent and your ex disagrees with you regarding how to parent, guide and support your transgendered child? Read more
Many divorced co-parents come to their family law attorneys with the same concern: “My ex is allowing his/her new partner to be around our children. Can I restrict my child’s exposure to the new boyfriend or girlfriend? Do I have any legal recourse to stop this?” Read more
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