Divorce is hard on both parents and kids. When a child’s parents end their marriage, the child can be left feeling confused and worried about the future. The legal proceedings surrounding their care and supervision are integral parts of their parents’ process of ending their union.
In Texas, child custody is known as conservatorship and parents can share conservatorship if it is deemed to serve the best interests of the child. This standard, which is subjective to the needs of the specific child, evaluates factors related to the child, their parents, and their life to decide where and how the child should be raised. In some cases, conservatorship can be granted to just one parent if the other is unable to provide care to their child.
This post will look at some of the factors courts and parents can expect to discuss when deciding matters of conservatorship. No part of this post provides legal advice. All readers with custody and conservatorship questions are encouraged to contact their local family law attorneys.
Considerations for child conservatorship matters
As stated, child conservatorship determinations are subjective. The factors discussed herein may yield different outcomes depending on the needs of the children under consideration. Some of the factors that parents and courts can discuss are:
- The parents’ willingness to work together to raise their child
- The proximity of the parents’ homes
- The parents’ ability to communicate regarding their child’s needs
- Other factors relevant to the particular child
Child conservatorship decisions are not just about the kids, but also their parents’ capacities to function as parents following their separations and divorces.
Agreements vs. orders for conservatorship
Families benefit when parents work together to make conservatorship decisions that serve their children’s best interests. In some cases, parents may be able to work out conservatorship decisions together in the form of agreements. When parents accomplish this, their family law courts can adopt those agreements and incorporate them into their orders. If parents cannot create their own agreements, courts can decide how best to establish child conservatorship decisions.
Divorce is hard on everyone. Parents can help their kids by making responsible decisions about conservatorship. Their family law attorneys can help.