Parents who have already gone through a custody child proceeding might no longer prefer their custody arrangement. Sometimes, communication between parents fails, or there might be other reasons why one parent might request a custody modification. Either way, there are four cases when you can consider a custody modification.When are Modifications Necessary?Usually, the court doesn’t try to alter a child custody arrangement if both parents are actively involved. As always, the court’s primary concern is the child’s best interests, so they don’t try to interrupt the child’s well-being for minor reasons.If you’re thinking of ordering a change to the custody order, you might want to consult with experienced lawyers first to get their opinions and see if there’s anything you can do to proceed with the change. That said, there are some reasons why the court considers altering a custody arrangement.If the Child is in DangerUndoubtedly, one of the main reasons a court will consider custody modification is when the child appears to be in danger in the place he’s living. When assessing the threat, the court considers some factors, such as:

• Whether the risk is immediate

• Domestic abuse in the parent’s house

• Whether the child has said they don’t want to stay in their parent’s house

If you, as a parent, are suspicious that something is going on in your co-parent’s house, you must contact your lawyer immediately. Even if you don’t have a lawyer but live in Baltimore, you can reach out to Baltimore Custody Lawyers, where a team of professionals will inform you on the next steps and what evidence you should provide.Relocation of a Parent to a Distant LocationA less severe reason is when one parent considers relocating to another location. However, before modifying the custody, the court will consider:

• Whether the child’s life will be interrupted by the modification

• Whether the relocation makes the visitation schedule impractical

• Whether the parents have already arranged to rework the visitation schedule

If One Parent Doesn’t Cooperate with the Visitation Schedule

Young boy in sweatshirt and young girl in sweater standing by tree; image by Annie Spratt, via Unsplash.com.

When one of the parents doesn’t cooperate with the current visitation schedule, there’s a high chance the court might consider altering the custody arrangement. Similar to other reasons, the court considers some factors before deciding on modifications, such as:

• Communication between the co-parents

• The reasons why the parent hasn’t followed the visitation schedule

• An agreement reached by the co-parents

If the Custodial Parent DiesIn case the custodial parent dies, the custody modification must happen because the court needs to determine whether the non-custodial parent will take full responsibility for the child or if a third party will take over.The court prefers the non-custodial parent to take responsibility since it won’t cause too much change in the child’s life. However, the court considers other alternatives if the child can’t stay with the other parent for reasons like:

• Distance from family or custodial home

• The child prefers to stay with a third-party

• Non-custodial parent’s full-time job makes it impossible to take care of the child

Usually, some parents think ahead before the first custody arrangement takes place. They agree on child custody even in cases when one of them might die. Most of the time, during the court process, the parents discuss potential situations they could face in the future, so they get help from their lawyers to agree.Suppose you want to avoid this situation as well. In that case, we recommend contacting your nearest attorney, preferably Baltimore Divorce Lawyers, as they’re experts in divorce and child custody arrangements.