substance abuse during child visitation and legal rights against father in WA state

Washington Viewed 223 times. Posted about 1 year ago in Family

substance abuse during visitiation: every other weekend my children are subjected to the alcohol abuse of their father. They have witnessed a bloody fight, watching their father fall down because he was so drunk. what rights do I have to keep my kids from having to deal with this. It is unsafe for them and his new wife does not seem to care how it affects her own kids and mine when they are there. Any suggestions on what my legal rights are?

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Answers (1)

Thuong-Tri Nguyen

This attorney is licensed in Washington. Posted about 1 year ago.

You likely have the right to petition the court to review and perhaps modify the parenting plan. You can review the information provided by WA LawHelp to see if the information is useful to you: http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/WA/index.cfm .

If you believe that the father is doing something illegal, you can report your suspicions to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

If you believe your children's safety are endangered, you can report your suspicions to Child Protective Services. You can find the contact information through DSHS at http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/ .

Taking any action may have unintended consequences (such as the court or some agency concluding that you also did something wrong). You should consider the situation carefully before taking action.

You can review your facts and options with an attorney.