How Can I Protect My Kids After Domestic Violence?
- Annette Benson Law
- Last Updated:
- Domestic Violence, Child Visitation
Many parents in the Detroit area get out of difficult relationship precisely because their partner is abusive either toward them or toward the children.
For this reason, these parents are willing to fight hard to keep the other parent from having access to the children. Having ongoing contact with a perpetrator is not only dangerous for the children but also for the other parent who has to let an abuser back into their lives.
A domestic violence victim will need an advocate in a custody case
Getting a protective order is only a first step in a parent’s battle to break themselves and their kids out of a web of domestic violence.
Generally speaking, the law allows Michigan parents to have a relationship with their children, and this means that an abusive parents can with shocking ease get liberal parenting time or even custody.
Fortunately, the law allows Michigan judges to consider a history of domestic violence when deciding custody.
The nice thing is that a victim does not first have to go through criminal court or even get a protective order before he brings domestic violence to the court’s attention. The child does not even have to witness the violence for a court to consider it.
Domestic violence and visitation
Depending on the circumstances, a judge can also limit the visitation of a parent who has committed domestic violence. One option for doing so is supervised visits.
That being said, a victim is going to have to make a persuasive case in court if she wants to get the protection she and her kids deserve. She may need the help of an experienced legal advocate to do so.
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