According to Kentucky child custody laws, if parents cannot come up with a mutual child custody agreement, the Kentucky family court decides with whom the child(s) will live,
who will get the visitation rights, and who will make major decisions of child’s life.
Kentucky child custody laws, which has adopted the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act in 2004, permit Joint custody and grandparents visitation rights.
The Kentucky court considers “child’s best of interest” as the prime factor to determine child custody. But, besides the prime factor, the court also considers various other factors to make the decision. Some of them include:
- Wishes for the child’s parent.
- Preference and interests of the child.
- Interactions and the relationships of the child with their siblings and the parents.
- Mental and physical health and abilities of the parents willing to become the custodian of the child.
- Adjustments of the child towards the surroundings, school, and other communities.
- Evidences of domestic violence, records, and other information concerned with the parents, if any.
Modifications in the child custody arrangements
The Kentucky court doesn’t reconsider the child custody order, which determined less than 2 years before the current modifications have been requested. Instead, the court only reconsiders the order if one parent can prove that:
- The current environment is dangerous for the child’s health (physical, mental or emotional).
- The custodian parent (according to the prior order by a court) has allowed the child to live with a “de facto” custodian.
Suppose you have filed a petition for child custody in Kentucky or require modifications in the pre-ordered arrangements. In that case, you should speak or hire the services of an experienced child custody lawyer in Kentucky.