Transitioning Times

Divorce is fairly common in our society. For every two couples that get married this year, a third couple will get divorced.  According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 800,000 couples divorced in 2014.  While the divorce rate among couples who have children together tends to be lower than childless couples, 40% of divorcing couples do have children. This fact results in nearly half of all children experiencing the divorce of their parents (Larson, The Huffington Post, 2011.) 25% of those children will experience a high conflict custody battle (Maccoby and Mnookin, 1992.) This percentage does not include those children facing high-conflict custody whose parents were never married. Divorce is always stressful for every child, even when, in the long run, it is the healthiest choice that could be made.  For those children handling a high-conflict custody situation, the stress is even greater. There is a loser (or losers) in every custody battle. R...

Today, the The News Item published an article about Richard Curran seeking custody of his children.  In 2005, Curran murdered his ex-wife, also the mother of their children.  He was sentenced in 2008 to serve a life sentence and is currently incarcerated in SCI-Albion, Erie County.  He filed a petition asking for periods of partial physical custody of their two daughters, ages 16 and 12, which would include visits at the correctional institution where he is housed. This may seem surprising, but Pennsylvania's laws allow for any person to file for almost anything through the court system and then at a hearing must assert their legal basis for filing that paperwork. Currently, Pennsylvania's custody law states the following about parents convicted of murder in the first degree, as Richard Curran was.   § 5303. Award of custody, partial custody or visitation. (b.2) Parent convicted of murder. --No court shall award custody, partial custody or visitatio...

In order to start a child support case , you need to go to your county’s Domestic Relations Office.  To qualify for child support, the parents may not live together and your county may require you to have a custody order.   To start a case, you will need: Your Social Security number Your child’s Social Security number Your child’s birth certificate Your address The name and address of your health insurance company (if applicable) Proof of your income (copies of pay stubs) A copy of your divorce agreement (if applicable) The other parent’s full name The other parent’s current address The other parent’s Social Security number The other parent’s birthday The name and address of his/her employer The date of your marriage and the date of your separation/divorce (if applicable) When filing, do not be afraid to ask questions, and make sure to tell the caseworker any relevant information, such as the existence of a Protection ...