Frisco CPS Attorney for Grandparents' Rights

Lawyer Helping Grandparents in Cases Involving Child Protective Services in Collin County

Grandparents are often closely involved in their grandchildren's lives. Because of this, they will want to make sure their grandchildren's needs will be provided for at all times, including when the grandchildren's parents cannot or will not provide the necessary care. When Child Protective Services (CPS) investigates a family based on claims that children have been abused or neglected, officials may believe that it is necessary to remove children from a parent's home. In these situations, grandparents may wish to step in and make sure children can stay with a family member rather than being placed in a foster home.

While having grandparents provide care for grandchildren in matters involving CPS is often the best solution for a family, there are a number of legal hurdles that will need to be cleared to make this happen. Grandparents in these situations will need to have a skilled and experienced legal advocate on their side who can make sure they take the right steps to protect their rights and ensure that their grandchildren's needs will be met. At the Law Office of Linda Risinger, our family law attorney can provide you with legal help during this difficult time, as well as representation in any court proceedings that may be necessary. We will work to help you find solutions that will protect your family relationships and provide for your grandchildren's best interests.

Temporary Care or Permanent Custody for Grandchildren

Grandparents generally have two options for providing care for grandchildren in cases involving CPS. The first is to file a petition for Temporary Authorization for Care of Minor Child. Typically, a grandparent will need to show that they have been providing care in their home for their grandchild for at least 30 days and that the grandchild's parent does not object to granting a temporary authorization for the grandparent to provide care for the grandchild. This authorization will allow the grandparent to address certain issues while caring for their grandchild, such as enrolling them in school or extracurricular activities, consenting to medical care, obtaining any public benefits that are available to the child, and providing any other forms of care that are needed. This option is often beneficial in cases where a grandparent will be working with one or both of their grandchild's parents to ensure that they can comply with all of the requirements put in place by CPS and regain custody of their child.

In cases where more permanent solutions are needed, a grandparent may seek custody of their grandchild through a procedure known as "intervention." In these cases, a grandparent will need to request the termination of parental rights for one or both of the grandchild's parents. They will need to show that it would be in the child's best interests to do so, either because the parent has abandoned their child or because the child would be at risk of harm while in the care of their parent. The grandparent will then need to request that they be appointed as their grandchild's managing conservator, which will give them permanent custody of the child. When doing so, a grandparent will usually need to show that they have had close, continuing contact with the grandchild in the past and that they will be able to provide the care and support that their grandchild needs going forward.

Contact Our Denton County Grandparents' Rights Lawyer

Cases involving CPS can be very complicated, and grandparents will need to meet multiple requirements to show that they can provide the necessary care for their grandchild. The Law Office of Linda Risinger can help grandparents address any issues that may arise in these cases while making sure grandparents provide the necessary information to show that they can meet all requirements put in place by CPS officials. To learn how we can help you resolve matters related to grandparents' rights in CPS cases, contact us at 972-294-6533 and set up your complimentary consultation today. We provide legal help in family law cases throughout Collin County, Dallas County, and Denton County, including Little Elm, The Colony, Plano, Frisco, Denton, Prosper, McKinney, and Celina.