We can all learn from our mistakes and change for the better. That is why the courts in Connecticut can modify existing custody orders. If you want to modify the order to spend more time with your child, you’ll need to prove that your circumstances have changed substantially. If the court believes that the change would be in the child’s best interest, they will modify the order.
Custody modifications in Connecticut
The courts in Connecticut will modify a custody order only if the change benefits the child. They must also have proof that there has been a big change in your life since the day they granted the existing order. These changes are usually negative, but they can be good ones too. If the court sees that you don’t have the same problems that did not let you get custody of your child in the first place, they may modify the order so that you can spend more time with them.
Filing the motion for modification
To change the order, you’ll need to complete a motion for modification and then take it to the Superior Court Clerk’s office. A filing fee is required, but you can ask to waive this payment if you cannot afford it. The clerk will inform you when and at what time your hearing will be, and they will give you a copy of the motion, which you will have to send to the other parent. Make sure you send it by mail and not by other means, as if you send it by mail, you can prove that you sent it by showing the receipt.
Fighting for your child
You must bring to the hearing the financial affidavit, a document that will show proof of your income, debts and assets. In the hearing, you’ll have the right to fight for your child. If the judge believes in what you have to say, they will modify the order. You have changed, and so can your custody order if you give the right arguments to the judge.