Precautions Against Parental Kidnapping
Are you afraid that the other parent can take away your child without your permission? This is known as parental abduction, which can give you sleepless nights since you won't know the state of your child's wellbeing when they are in hiding with the other parent. Take these measures to prevent parental abduction:
Get a Custody Order
The first thing is to get a custody order that spells both parents' interactions with the child. The custody order will spell who should have the child and for how long. It will also specify when the parents need to get permission when traveling with the child. Without a custody order, what you may be terming as parental abduction may be perfectly legal. Local arrangements with the other parent won't help you.
Tell Others about the Custody Order
Once you get a custody order in place, inform everybody who may interact with the child on a regular basis. This means the daycare center, the babysitter, the school, the immigration department, and other places that have reason to interact with the child should know that there is a custody order in place. That way those people will not release the child to the other parent without your express permission.
Avoid Unnecessary Controversy
There is no excuse for kidnapping a kid, but it makes no sense to goad the other person too. In some cases, parents kidnap kids when they feel they have been locked out of the kid's life. Maintain a cordial relationship with the other parent and encourage them to come to you with their concerns. You also have to respect the custodial order, for example, if the other parent is entitled to one day a week with the kid, make sure they get it. Hopefully, your overtures will prevent them from kidnapping the kid as a way of dealing with problems.
Look Out For Warning Signs
It also pays to be on the lookout for warning signs so that you can nip any looping abduction in the bud. For example, you should be careful if the other parent has kidnapped a child in the past, has no strong ties to the kid's home state, doesn't have a stable job or is delusional. Not everybody who ticks all those boxes will kidnap a child, but it pays to be extra careful around such parents.
Dealing with parental abduction is messy, so the best precaution is to prevent it. A family lawyer, however, can help you safeguard your custodial rights and your kid's wellbeing before and after an abduction. Talk to a family lawyer like Joanna Cobleigh Esq for more information on what you can do.