Liberty County, GA Child custody terms

When it comes to child custody in Liberty County, GA , there are a lot of terms that can get thrown around. Generally, it can be very easy to misinterpret what exactly those terms mean. On the one hand, the term like “custody” has a literal meaning. If you have custody of something, it means that you have physical possession of that thing. However, some parents would speak about their children as being a “possession” in the way that jewelry or a car might be a possession. Custody, as it relates to child custody, is a legal term, and carries with it very specific legal meanings and underpinnings and you must be know what a phrase like “full child custody” means.

In Liberty County, GA there are two specific concepts that child custody refers to. The first concept that child custody refers to is the area of legal responsibility and rights. Generally except when there is a compelling ground for the court to rule otherwise, parents will share joint legal custody of their children in a divorce. Both parents have the right and obligation to take decisions for the child in vital areas like education, instruction in religion, and health care. Where parents have shared or joint legal custody, both parents shall have the full authority to act on the child’s behalf in these areas. When only one parent has complete legal custody, then only that parent has the right to take such decisions. But, it is only in exceptional instances, like when one parent has been convicted of child abuse or endangerment, that there would be sole legal custody.

The next area that child custody refers to is physical custody. Having full physical custody of a child indicates that the child lives with you a vast majority of the time. But it does not indicate that the non-custodial parent does not see the child, or that the child cannot reside with the non-custodial parent. It merely indicates that the child resides with you primarily. The non-custodial parent will still usually retain joint legal custody even if you have full child custody in the physical area. In addition, the non-custodial parent may still also have specific visitation rights that you must, by law, comply with even though if you have full physical child custody.

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