October 6, 2011
Texas’ concept of grandparents rights is in line with many of the other states I have examined. As always, to get the best overview of grandparents rights in the USA search through my website Caring Grandparents and read my book No Greater Loss. It pretty much goes without saying that everything behind grandparents rights can be incredibly emotional.When grandparents have to seek legal intervention to just see their grandchildren, emotions abound on all sides of the spectrum with the grandparents, the parents, and the children involved. When parents feel it is necessary to deny access to the grandparents, emotions also […]
October 6, 2011
Every Wednesday, the La Mesa Patch Moms Council poses a question and invites your wisdom—and chimes in themselves. This Wed they choose to let me speak about grandparents rights, and add their views…. LMPMC: Neil Taft on Grandparents Rights
October 4, 2011
Grandparents in Michigan are entitled to grandparents custody and visitation under certain circumstances, but their rights may be subject to parental consent. Primarily, it is the child’s parents’ decision to determine whether a grandparent may visit with a child or not. Most often, grandparents will need to assert their rights only if they have been denied visitation by a child’s parents or custodian. Grandparents’ rights must serve the best interests of the child. If the child’s parent, who is related to the grandparent, is deceased, grandparent may petition the court for grandparenting time. A court will prefer to award custody […]
October 3, 2011
As everywhere, grandparents rights in Louisiana are a complicated and tangled affair. I’ll do my best to explain the current situation. More information on grandparents rights in general and an explanation of many of these terms and legal concepts can be found on my website Caring Grandparents and in my book No Greater Loss. About 30% of adults in the U.S. are grandparents, and the number of children living with their grandparents has markedly increased in the last 20 years – by as much as 50%. The 2010 census for Louisiana indicated that about 11% of children live with a […]
September 29, 2011
One of the difficulties when dealing with grandparents rights is that the laws vary so much depending on your state. Grandparent rights in South Carolina have changed several times due to legal decisions. In some families, the grandparents are an important part of a family’s life and are able to see their grandchildren on a regular basis. In other families, though, the parents of the children may keep them away from the grandparents for their own personal reasons. The rights of a grandparent to be a part of their grandchild’s life varies by state, including South Carolina. In South Carolina, […]
September 26, 2011
I think most people would agree when we look back at our own childhoods that Grandma and Grandad play a very important role in our lives, especially if they live close by and they are in regular contact. Suddenly removing this bond can be devastating to the grandchild and throw the grandparents into emotional turmoil. This situation can suddenly come about for many reasons and because of this every case has to be treated individually. Grandparents rights are dealt with differently in many states and every state has it’s own laws which can be very confusing. What does seem to […]
September 22, 2011
Most of us know about the various battles that can happen in the court after a divorce regarding the custody of the child. You might have wondered, how does the court decide which parent gets the custody of the child? The main question the courts consider in deciding the custody of a child is: what is in the best interest of the child? This principle is connected to grandparents rights, which are the rights permit the grandparents to take a standing in the court on behalf of the child. How does the court know what is in the best interest […]
September 15, 2011
Across the country hundreds of thousands of grandparents raising grandchildren do not get sufficient rights or help. They gladly take on the role as the primary caregiver, but they hope to gain some of the same support afforded to foster parents. Grandparents from across the state and country are rallying to raise awareness about the lack of support they receive, in contrast to the foster care system, when raising grandchildren. The fourth annual Grand Rally is taking place today in Washington, DC. Groups of grandparents left from many different states Thursday heading to Washington. They say once there, they’ll join […]
September 13, 2011
A new California law makes it a misdemeanor for anyone providing care or direct supervision to a person who is at least 65 years old to coerce or deceive that senior into voting contrary to the senior citizen’s intent. Senior voting rights are an important emerging part of Elder Law in the USA. Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s bill AB 547, a measure to protect senior citizens from voter fraud and abuse, has been signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown and will take effect before the 2012 elections. This is seen as an important first step towards developing a more comprehensive […]
September 6, 2011
Grandparents raising grandchildren is not a new phenomenon. It is, however, a rapidly growing one. Census data shows that the incidence of increased grandparent involvement in raising their own grandchildren is getting more and more common. As of 2010 about 6 million children, nearly 8 percent of all children, were recorded as living with grandparents identified as head of household. That number is nearly twice what it was in the 2000 census. Sometimes grandparents must take over a child who has been abandoned or mistreated due to parental alienation, loss of job, drug use, incarceration, or severe poverty. The poor […]