Grandparent And Sibling Visitation Rights

 Posted on March 14, 2013 in Family Law

A UK newspaper reported a story about surprisingly intense reactions to grandparents keeping in contact with their grandchildren after a divorce. Even though this story is not domestic news, issues regarding divorce in first world countries remain more or less the same.

According to the Telegraph, police in the UK are being called to investigate cases where grandparents are approaching their grandchildren with postcards or presents as harassment. Grandparents often find themselves cut off by the parent who has the custody of a child, but it looks like things are getting worse. In some cases the elderly have been forced to hand over DNA samples or fingerprints, and some have even been threatened with arrest or called to a police station after sending a card or a present to their grandchildren. Some of the grandparents feel they have been humiliated for having to talk to officers regarding something like this.

If the custodial parent unreasonably denies visitation for a grandparent or a sibling, it is possible to petition for visitation. There are criteria for the petition, out of which one must be met. Examples of these criteria are: the parent that is related to the grandparent is mentally incompetent, dead or incarcerated; the parent related to the grandparent has lost parental rights by judicial act; the child is illegitimate and the parents are not living together. These are only a few of the criteria for such petition. For more information, contact an experienced divorce attorney.

Divorces are always emotional and stressful, but not all sides are always considered. Do not call the police on your child's grandparents for sending a postcard. Take care of such matters during the divorce process with help from qualified attorneys. To make the process less painful, contact a knowledgeable divorce attorney in Illinois.