Terminating the Parent-Child Relationship

 Posted on April 28, 2017 in Child Custody

Early this year, Senator Jane Nelson introduced a new bill that would give courts the right to terminate the parental rights of someone convicted of sexual assault. If passed, the new law could have significant repercussions on the rights of many Texas parents, so if you have questions about how the law could affect you, it is important to contact an experienced complex child custody attorney who can address your concerns. A skilled family law attorney in your area will help protect your rights and provide questions to any answers you may have concerning family law in Texas.

Current Law

According to Texas law, courts can terminate the parent-child relationship if clear and convincing evidence demonstrates that a parent has:

• Allowed the child to live in conditions that endangered his or her well-being;
• Did something that endangered the child;
• Did not provide support for the child;
• Left the child’s mother during pregnancy;
• Failed to enroll the child in school and kept the child away from his or her home for a substantial length of time;
• Been convicted of causing the death or serious injury of a child;
• Had his or her parent-child relationship with another child terminated;
• Abandoned the child who has been in the custody of the Department of Family and Protective Services for at least six months, has not regularly visited, and is unable to provide the child with a safe environment;
• Failed to comply with a court order containing conditions related to custody of the child;
• Used a controlled substance and endangered the health of the child, failed to complete a substance abuse program, or continued to abuse the drug after completing a program;
• Been convicted of a criminal offense and been in prison for at least two years;
• Caused a child to be addicted to alcohol or a controlled substance;
• Delivered the child to a designated emergency infant care provider; and
• Been convicted of the murder or attempted murder of the child’s other parent.

Under the terms of the new bill, parents can also have their rights terminated if they:

• Were convicted of the sexual assault of the other parent; or
• Have been placed on community supervision or probation for sexually assaulting the child’s other parent.

The court will also take the best interests of the child into consideration before officially terminating parental rights.

Contact an Experienced Cedar Park Complex Child Custody Attorney Today

If you have questions about the recently proposed bill and its potential effect on your parental rights or the parental rights of your child’s other parent, please contact one of our passionate Cedar Park complex child custody attorneys at Powers and Kerr, PLLC. We will begin working immediately on your behalf.

Source:

https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB77/id/1583065