How to Face Your Termination of Parental Rights Case
When facing your termination of parental rights case, you might have strong concerns. Termination of parental rights is a grave matter. Accordingly, you should have an attorney represent you throughout your case. If DCPP has stated its intent to terminate your parental rights, but you don’t want your parental rights terminated, you should speak with an attorney about your options.
Start With the Basis
The most common basis for termination of parental rights is the best interests of the child. The best interests of the child is a legal standard frequently used in family law matters involving children. The courts often apply this legal standard to guide their decisions. To terminate your parental rights on these grounds, the DCPP must prove:
- You harmed your child
- You are unable or won’t stop harming your child or remove the risk of harm to your child
- Your child is being harmed by not having a permanent home
- The DCPP has followed protocol for doing what it can to help your family stay together and helping you visit with your child
- There are no reasonable alternative options for the placement of your child (e.g. sending your child to a relative’s), and
- Terminating your parental rights will help your child more than it would harm him or him
In most cases, DCPP will terminate your parental rights so that your child can be adopted. Adoption is preferable to ongoing foster care, as the goal for DCPP cases is always a safe and permanent home for the child.
Defense From the Ground Up
If you want to fight for your parental rights, you will need to work closely with an experienced New Jersey DCPP defense attorney who can help you challenge the above factors the DCPP must prove. But the best defense is preventing your case from escalating to this point by fighting unnecessary removals and defending your rights from the start. If DCPP has contacted you, you should consult with an attorney before it’s too late. If you involve an attorney soon enough, he or she can help you challenge the removal of your child, ensure the conditions of your safety plan are necessary and hold DCPP accountable for helping your family stay together.
If you need help fighting for your parental rights in New Jersey, the Williams Law Group, LLC is here to help. The experienced child abuse defense attorneys at Williams Law Group, LLC can aggressively protect your rights. Located in Short Hills, New Jersey, Williams Law Group, LLC provides compassionate and dedicated legal services to Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable attorneys handle divorce and family law, child custody, and child abuse/neglect cases. Call our office at (908) 810-1083, email us at info@awilliamslawgroup.com, or contact us through our confidential online form to schedule a consultation and ultimately get you connected with an experienced New Jersey divorce and child custody attorney.