Custody in Ohio

[kurtfinstad]

i was recently released from jail and my son is in temporary custody with his great aunt and i need help or information on what i can do to get custody.I am in fla and he is in ohio and his mother is unfit and i have no money.

[mistoffolees]

>i was recently released from jail and my son is in temporary
>custody with his great aunt and i need help or information on
>what i can do to get custody.I am in fla and he is in ohio and
>his mother is unfit and i have no money.


If you have no money, how are you going to support your son?

That isn't meant to be a negative comment. Rather, it's my advice on how to get the situation resolved:

1. Get your life in order. That means a good job, stable home, and stay away from criminal activity.
2. If possible, establish reasonable visitation with your son while he is in his aunt's care. You want to begin to establish a solid, healthy relationship with both the son and the aunt. The more time you spend with him, the less traumatic it will be if and when custody does change.
3. Once you can demonstrate that you can provide a good home for the child, then you go to court in the state which gave temporary custody to the great aunt and tell them you would like for them to terminate the temporary custody order. As with any court situation, it is possible to do this pro se (without an attorney), but it becomes more complicated and there is a greater risk of failure.

Other factors that enter into the matter is whether the great aunt is willing to work with you to transfer custody or whether she will fight you. Also, even if the mother is 'unfit', she may well have some say.

If you expect to simply uproot a child from his established home to a different state to live with a parent who just got out of jail and has no job and no money, I don't think that's likely (nor particularly healthy for the child, IMHO).

[Zephyr]

>>i was recently released from jail and my son is in
>temporary
>>custody with his great aunt and i need help or information
>on
>>what i can do to get custody.I am in fla and he is in ohio
>and
>>his mother is unfit and i have no money.
>
>
>If you have no money, how are you going to support your son?
>
>That isn't meant to be a negative comment. Rather, it's my
>advice on how to get the situation resolved:
>
>1. Get your life in order. That means a good job, stable home,
>and stay away from criminal activity.
>2. If possible, establish reasonable visitation with your son
>while he is in his aunt's care. You want to begin to establish
>a solid, healthy relationship with both the son and the aunt.
>The more time you spend with him, the less traumatic it will
>be if and when custody does change.
>3. Once you can demonstrate that you can provide a good home
>for the child, then you go to court in the state which gave
>temporary custody to the great aunt and tell them you would
>like for them to terminate the temporary custody order. As
>with any court situation, it is possible to do this pro se
>(without an attorney), but it becomes more complicated and
>there is a greater risk of failure.
>
>Other factors that enter into the matter is whether the great
>aunt is willing to work with you to transfer custody or
>whether she will fight you. Also, even if the mother is
>'unfit', she may well have some say.
>
>If you expect to simply uproot a child from his established
>home to a different state to live with a parent who just got
>out of jail and has no job and no money, I don't think that's
>likely (nor particularly healthy for the child, IMHO).



I totally agree, and will add that things would probably go more smothly for all involved- especially you, if you lived in the child's geographic area

[Tikki]

I am full supporter of fathers having custody...if they can support that child in all best interests - financially, emotionally, mentally, etc.

I speak from the heart here:

I agree with the others - get youf life together first.  If your son means everything to you and is your #1 priority - go back to Ohio - he's there and should be your first priority.  Establish a good solid relationship with him and the family...but remember and ask yourself:

what are the best interests for my son and can I provide them all?

My BIL (in OHIO)  has a 2 year old son who he hasn't seen in some time because BIL has a bad drug problem.  BIL always talks down about his ex-girlfriend (she does have full custody, also in OHIO).  

BIL demands custody all the time but logically and realistically he shouldn't have custody.  He won't even keep a job - his mom snet him to college so he could go into the same line of work as my DH, then my DH got him a job and he quit...

BIL wants to be like my DH adn be a good dad but he doesn't want to commit to it.  He just wants the glory - he has the cutest little boy so I certainly can't blame him for wanting that glory...

But, being a father is more about having a cute kid..its about a lifetime commitment.  

Good luck to you.