Texas Grandparents' Rights - Visitation and Foster Care
Many grandparents are interested in stabilizing a right to visitation of their grandchildren in cases where the child's parents are divorced or never married. In other cases, grandparents need advice from an Austin or Houston grandparent rights attorney about temporary conservatorship of a grandchild in situations where the child's parents are unable to provide a safe or stable home. If you are a grandparent interested in child visitation, temporary conservatorship, or foster care, contact a knowledgeable grandparent rights attorney at Bertolino LLP in Austin or Houston or San Antonio for sound advice about your legal visitation rights.
Unless both of the child's parents are deceased, it is unusual for a grandparent to obtain a court order granting primary custody, or a managing conservatorship, of a grandchild. In cases involving military service or incarceration of a noncustodial parent, a grandparent can apply for a Family Court order that effectively transfers the noncustodial parent's possession rights to the grandparent during periods when the child's parent cannot enjoy them; if the custodial parent objects, however, the grandparent will need to show on the basis of a prior relationship with the grandchild that it is in the child's best interests to recognize and protect it.
Especially in cases where a single parent is unable or unwilling to provide a stable or wholesome home environment for a child due to drug abuse, alcoholism, or family violence, the child's grandparent might want to assume responsibility for the care of the child on a temporary basis. Our family law and grandparent rights attorneys can advise you of your options and legal rights concerning temporary conservatorship, relative foster care, or any other useful alternative to out-of-home placement by Child Protection Services. In situations where it makes best sense to seek a foster care placement into a grandparent's home, we can help you with the licensing procedures, so that you can qualify for payment of a stipend.
Contact a Texas a Grandparent Rights Lawyer at Bertolino LLP
At Bertolino LLP, our family law experience not only with the Texas Family Code but also with the various county and local agencies responsible for child welfare can help grandparents protect their grandchildren as well as their own rights in many different situations. For additional information, contact one of our grandparent rights lawyers in Austin or Houston or San Antonio for dependable advice. Bertolino LLP maintains offices in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. To reach an attorney in the Austin office, call 512.476.5757. For the San Antonio office, call 210.223.5553. For the Houston office, call 713.225.7474. You may also contact the firm by e-mail.
