Throughout central Pennsylvania it has become more common for grandparents to raise their grandchildren.
The Huffington Post reports that more and more grandparents are raising their grandchildren. Citing a recent report issued by the Pew Research Center, The Huffington Post reports that 7.7 million U.S. children — one in 10 — were living in the same household as one of their grandparents in 2011.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recognizes the rights of grandparents to seek custody of their grandchildren. Pennsylvania grandparents must be prepared to establish that they have standing to seek custody pursuant to either 23 Pa.C.S.A. § 5324 or 23 Pa.C.S.A. § 5325. Depending on the type of standing a grandparent can establish, grandparents may seek legal custody and/or sole physical custody, primary physical custody, shared physical custody, partial physical custody, or supervised physical custody. Grandparents must prove that the requested custody would be in the best interests of the minor grandchildren and may have to establish that the grandparent custody would not interfere with the relationship between the parent and the minor child. See 23 Pa.C.S.A. § 5328.
If you are a grandparent with questions about custody of your grandchild, please contact us by calling (717) 883-5671 or email FamilyLaw@JSDC.com.