Know the Laws: Connecticut
UPDATED December 15, 2006
Please consider getting help from an organization in your area before proceeding with court action. To find an organization, please go to the Where to Find Help tab at the top of this page.
- General Information and Definitions
- How does the custody process work?
- After an order is in place
- Other information about custody
General Information and Definitions
back to topWhat is custody?
Custody is the physical care and supervision of a child (under 19 years of age). Custody or "legal custody" also refers to the parental right to make major decisions concerning the child, including the child's education, health care and religious training.*
* C.G.S.A. § 46b-115a.
back to topWhat is physical custody?
Physical custody is the term used to describe the person that lives with the child on a day-to-day basis.*
* C.G.S.A. § 46b-115a.
back to topWhat is joint custody?
Joint custody means an order awarding legal custody of the minor child to both parents, providing for joint decision-making by the parents and providing that physical custody shall be shared by the parents in such a way as to make sure the child of gets continued contact with both parents. The court may award joint legal custody without awarding joint physical custody where the parents have agreed to merely joint legal custody. A judge can assume that joint custody is in the best interest of a minor child if the parents agree.*
* C.G.S.A. § 46b-56a.
back to topShould I start a court case to ask for supervised visitation?
If you are not comfortable with the abuser being alone with your child, you might be thinking about asking the judge to order that visits with your child be supervised. If you are already in court because the abuser filed for visitation or custody, you probably don't have much to lose by asking that the visits be supervised.
However, if there is no current court case, please get legal advice BEFORE you start a court case to ask for supervised visits. We strongly recommend that you talk to an attorney who specializes in custody matters to find out what you would have to prove to get the visits supervised and how long supervised visits would last, based on the facts of your case.
In the great majority of cases, supervised visits are only a temporary measure. Although the exact visitation order will vary by state, county, or judge, the judge might order a professional to observe the father on a few visits or the visits might be supervised by a relative for a few months -- and if there are no obvious problems, the visits will likely become unsupervised. Oftentimes, the father ends up with more frequent and/ or longer visits than he had before you went into court. He may even end up with joint custody.
In some cases, to protect your child from immediate danger by the abuser, starting a case to ask for custody and supervised visits is appropriate. To find out if that is best in your situation, please go to Finding a Lawyer to seek out legal advice.