As a grandparent in Clarksville, your love for your grandchildren may be uninfluenced by any actions between them and their parents. Many of those in your same situation who have seen such actions result in the children being removed from the home often come to us here at Runyon and Runyon still wanting to maintain their relationships with them.
While there may be any number of reasons why children may be removed from a home, the most common are typically:
- Parental neglect
- Criminal activity
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Unsafe or unsanitary conditions
Depending upon the circumstances of the removal, the court may believe it to be better for the children if any and all ties to their previous lives be severed, including their relationships with you. However, the regulations regarding child custody and visitation set forth in the Annotated Code of Tennessee do allow some recourse in retaining your grandparents’ rights.
In the event that your grandchildren are removed from their parents’ custody and placed with a licensed agency or in foster care, you may still earn the right to visit them if you can show that such visitation would be in their best interests. You must also have not been implicated in any criminal actions against the children while simultaneously demonstrating the desire to shield them from any further abuse or suffering (even at the hands of a fellow family member).
These rights remain in place even in the event that your adult children surrender their parental responsibilities. They may not apply, however, if the children are adopted by someone other than a stepparent or relative.
You can find more information on your rights as a grandparent here on our site.