Raising children in Los Angeles is not always an easy task. People want to raise their children a certain way and to have certain values that they hope their children will carry with them into adulthood. While raising them, parents will have to make many different decisions. They will need to make decisions about what schools they attend, about their various medical needs, which activities they will be involved in, where they will live and many other decisions.
Parents need to make these decisions whether they are married, divorced or were never married to each other. However, if the parents are divorced or never married how they make the decisions may be governed by a child custody order. These orders designate whether one parent will make all the major decisions for the children or they will make the decisions together.
These orders are granted based on the circumstances at the time the order is issued. This could be when the children are young and the orders could be in place for many years. As time passes though the circumstances of the children and the parents may change. If this occurs one parent may want to change the custody order.
Requirements for modifying a custody order
In order to modify a custody order, parents either need to agree on the change or the parent wanting a change will need to demonstrate that there has been not only a change but a substantial change in the circumstances. They will also need to demonstrate that the change in the custody order is in the best interests of the children.
There are many changes that occur in parent’s lives in California. This could be getting a new job that requires them to move, remarriage and many other changes. Other times there may be changes in the needs of the children or their relationships with the parents may change. In some situations parents may want to change their custody order to reflect these changes. These are very fact-specific matters though and consulting with experienced attorneys could be beneficial.
