Tag Archive for: parental termination

Grandparents: How Do You Get Custody Of Your Grandkids When Their Parents Are Addicts?

grandparent rights

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

Opioid Epidemic Awareness Week: How Can Addict Parents Get Help?

Thoughtful manPresident 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

Bills Before NJ Assembly Expand Rights of Children, Domestic Abuse Victims

New proposed legislation recommended this week by the state’s Assembly Judiciary Committee would create significant changes in how certain family law matters are conducted, reports the New Jersey Law Journal. What’s on tap to be voted on? One bill expands children’s right to representation in parental termination cases and the other increases privacy rights for domestic violence victims. Here’s a look at what each entails: Read more