Legal Question in Family Law in Ohio

Child Custody

I am the a stepmother. The child who is involved is 4. the father & I would like to get custody of the child. We are unsure of how to go about it. He pays child support & provides health insurance. the father and mother were never married. there are several reason for us wanting custody. the grandmother and us have the child around 70% of the time. The mother does not wash the childs clothes for weeks at a time. She does not bath her when she has her. She does not feed her. she will drink and drive with the child in the car. she has moved 8 times during the past 2 years. She does not buy her clothes or winter coats. she does not spend the child support money on her. We have to buy her clothes or the grandmother does. She has had live in boyfriends who sleep in the same bed as the child. she does not get her hair cut. The little girl has missed pre-school several times because the mother was to drunk to get her off to school. At our house she house her own room and clothes. Any advice would be very helpful


Asked on 6/03/01, 3:55 am

2 Answers from Attorneys
Rosemarie Welch Rosemarie A. Welch Co., L.P.A.

Re: Child Custody

There are generally two ways. The first way is to file a complaint for legal custody with your county domestic relations/juvenile court.

The second way is to report the behavior to your county Children Services. They will do an investigation and may file a dependency and/or neglect complaint with your county juvenile court. You can then ask for the child to be placed with you both during the litigation and following the disposition.

This information is provided solely for educational purposes. No attorney-client privilege or confidentiality agreements exist.

Rosemarie A. Welch

(740) 657-1103

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Answered on 6/26/01, 9:16 pm
Gregg Manes Gregg A. Manes, Esq.

Re: Child Custody

If there is immediate harm in returning the child to the mother, then call children's service board to try to get the child removed from the situation. Being that you are a blood relative there is a preference that the child be placed with you. Otherwise you need to file in juvenile court to obtain custody.

My suggestion is to call counsel for assistannce

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Answered on 7/09/01, 12:50 am


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