You have a custody and parenting plan that lets you see your child every other weekend because you had a complicated work schedule. Now, your work situation has changed and you wish to see your child more.
Can you change your custody agreement? Yes, and it’s not as hard as people make it seem.
How do you change the custody order you have?
At any time, you can ask a judge to make modifications to the existing custody order so long as you either have your co-parent’s consent or there has been a significant change in your circumstances.
There are several steps you will have to go through to make the changes to your child custody plan here in California. But first, you should consider if you can show reasonable cause as to why you want that change.
Some custody orders only work well until your child turns into a teen. Other orders need to be changed because the situation of your child has drastically changed. Here’s what you should consider:
- The child is in danger of physical or emotional trauma
- There has been a change in a parent’s schedule
- The child wishes to live with the other parent
- One or both parents wants to move
- One parent isn’t following the original custody order
- One or both parents has a substance abuse problem
- One or both parents have been convicted of a crime
The important thing in any modification plan is that the changes need to reflect the best interests of the children. Parents often seek experienced legal help before they ask for modifications to their child custody plans to avoid mistakes and unnecessary legal complications.
