There are so many different kinds of family situations. In a variety of circumstances, grandparents need to seek legal guidance on their rights for visitation and care of their grandchildren.

I was adopted by my grandmother when I was 6 years old, so I am familiar with being in a situation where my parents could not care for me and there was an intervention by a grandparent. My grandmother spent a lot of time going through the court systems, working for visitation, custody, and finally adoption rights.

There are a variety of different situations grandparents may encounter. I personally went through an adoption process as a child, which took years of visitations, court proceedings, and more. However, every situation is unique.

It is important to start the process as soon as possible when a situation arises. You should contact a lawyer so that you can be represented properly, such as an attorney for grandparents rights.

Here are some of the types of grandparent rights:

Visitation

Grandparents can request visitation rights with grandchildren when there is a relationship that they want to maintain. They can request the courts to step in and require a court ordered visitation. Not all grandparents are aware that they can legally protect their relationship with their grandchildren, so contacting a lawyer is important.

Foster Care

If a situation arises where children are to be placed in foster care, grandparents can claim preference to foster their own grandchildren. It is much easier to place a child in grandparent care within their own family, versus those children landing anywhere in the foster care system. In most situations, Grandparents usually want to take in their grandchildren if the opportunity arises where that child needs care.

Custody & Adoption

When children are abused or neglected, or there are other situations that may warrant care outside of their parents, this is where grandparents may step in and request custody or adoption.