Child custody laws in the United States
Overview
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are sometimes used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent
and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child. Following ratification
of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child
in most countries, terms such as "custody" and "access" (known as "visitation" in the United States
) have been superseded by the concepts of "residence" and "contact
".
Parent
A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child. Following ratification
Ratification
Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent where the agent lacked authority to legally bind the principal. The term applies to private contract law, international treaties, and constitutionals in federations such as the United States and Canada.- Private law :In contract law, the...
of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
in most countries, terms such as "custody" and "access" (known as "visitation" in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) have been superseded by the concepts of "residence" and "contact
Contact (law)
In family law, contact is one of the general terms which denotes the level of contact a parent or other significant person in a child's life can have with that child...
".
