As a parent, your top priority in life will always be making sure that your children are safe. Therefore, you’ll always be thinking about potential risks that they may be subject to, and how you can make them safer. If you are not in a relationship with their other parent and you share custody, there will be a certain amount of time in which you will have little to no control over your child’s safety. This can feel scary, especially if you do not trust the other parent’s ability to keep your child safe.
When it comes to the safety and well-being of your child, you should always trust your parental instincts. This means that any indication that your child is at risk when with the other parent should be acted on. Here’s what to do if you have reason to believe that the parent is irresponsible.
File a complaint with the child custody courts
Child custody courts operate with the best interests of the children as their driving force. This means that if you make a complaint against the other parent, they will initiate an investigation. They will take into account a wide range of information and consider the overall risk to the child in balance with the benefits that come with shared custody for the child.
When filing a complaint, you should make sure that you provide as much information as you can. If you believe that the parent abuses alcohol, you should include evidence to support this — for example, text messages sent while intoxicated, or statements from your children.
It’s important that you always act in the best interests of your children and that you make sure that the child custody courts can assess the situation thoroughly.