If you have joint custody of your son and feel that his safety is in question do you have a legal right to keep him until you feel that he is no longer in danger?

Answer 1

The custodial parent who fears for their child's safety would not have a legal right to keep the child from the other parent until a court ruled on the legitimacy of the claim. In other words if the parent refused to allow the other one to have visitation or custodial privileges, they would be disobeying a court order, never a good idea. Therefore, if a parent chose to take such action they would be required to present substantiating evidence to prove the claim of endangerment, or face a contempt of court charge. That being the case, all parents (indeed,all adults) have the moral obligation to protect children, the elderly, physically disabled, all those persons who cannot protect themselves. Some options would be to contact the attorney who handled the custody case or other legal assitance or the state's department of children and family services for guidance. National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-422-4453 or 1-800-252-2873. http://www.nccafv.org