Tennessee grandparents’ legal rights, guidelines, regulations, and rules of law allow you to ask for visitation, and temporary custody of your grandchildren. TN grandparents can also file for full custody, guardianship, or adoption, to raise their grand-kids, through a TN family law custody court judicial process. The proper legal advice, guidance, and strategies are key to ensure a successful outcome to any predicament regarding your grandchildren. Fortunately, studies have shown that the “Best Interests” for your grandchildren is that they have an active relationship with their grandparents. Grandfathers and grandmothers can often provide a healthier and more stable environment than the children’s biological parents. As a result, Tennessee’s “Best Interest of the Child” guideline fully supports a grandparents’ rights for visitation and custody. The legal extent to which you can visit, provide, and support your grandchildren will need to be determined and approved through a TN family law court hearing litigation process.
Children are all too often kept from their grandparents, or exposed to abuse and neglect. Typically, most if not all of these circumstances
are completely out of their control. This unhealthy environment is a damaging situation for children’s emotional and physical well-being. Children often don’t have a voice to be heard, and it is our responsibility as grandparents to be that voice. A voice that defends, supports, protects, and cares for all grandchildren that so desperately need our help.
The Tennessee Judicial Legal System Recognizes the Importance of Grandparents’ Rights Regarding Visitation and Custody of Grandchildren; and Fully Understands That Abuse and Neglect are Prevalent in TN Families.
TN family law fully acknowledges the ability for grandparents to provide a positive and stable environment. An environment, which is able to provide leadership, and a parenting platform so many children desperately need. Grandchildren even spending limited time with their grandparents can help provide the much-needed comfort and security that children require on a regular basis.
The situation grandchildren are exposed to varies greatly. Some are in a positive stable environment, and grandparents are simply denied access or may be allowed very limited contact with their grandchildren. The other end of the spectrum is a situation that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If you can prove your grandchildren are being subjected to an abusive and neglectful environment, the Tennessee judicial system will act quickly and forcefully on your behalf. Don’t think for one second that as grandparents your rights will be restricted or limited. Remember, the “Best Interest of the Children” is a standard that is fully recognized and supported in the state of Tennessee.
If your grandchildren are in an abusive or neglected environment you may file a petition for a TN child protective proceeding. If abuse, neglect, or imminent danger exist, child protective services may enforce an emergency removal of the children and place them into protective custody. A child protective proceeding is typically followed by a number of court hearings. A fact-finding court hearing is set to determine if the allegations are true. A dis-positional hearing is set to decide what should be done if the child has been neglected or abused. Finally, a permanency hearing is set to determine and finalize the permanent placement and security of the children.
It’s important to recognize, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) was established to ensure that any
child custody litigation occurs in the child’s “home state”. The “home state” is defined as the last state where a child has lived for 6 consecutive months with a parent. This act was adopted to discourage parents from moving out-of-state in an attempt to manipulate the judicial system for whatever reason. Parental attempted kidnapping by moving children to another state or jurisdiction was one of the main reasons the UCCJEA was adopted.
Tennessee Grandparents’ Legal Rights, Guidelines, Regulations, and Rules of Law Enable You to Defend Your Visitation Rights, Fight for Custody, or the “Best Interests” of Your Grandchildren Through TN Family Law.
The modification to your grandchild’s custody situation may be modified in Tennessee on your behalf. In some cases it will be a temporary modification based on a continuing effort of both parents to SUCCESSFULLY overcome the obstacles that prevent them from retaining full custody again. Parents inability to provide a safe, stable, humane, and secure home environment can be due to many different factors, including but not limited to: (substance abuse, incarceration, mental health issues, anger management, poor leadership skill sets, endangerment, physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic violence, divorce, etc.). In other cases you may be awarded full custody. Often times, full custody comes with the option to legally adopt your grandchildren.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that you have no legal rights in the state of Tennessee when it
comes to your grandchildren. TN family law will help ensure your grand-kids get what they deserve and need. Remember to focus your efforts on their “Best Interests” at all times. Your grandchildren will thank you when they are mature enough to realize the decisions and sacrifices you made for them and their future.
I cannot stress enough, the fact that grandchildren need their grandparents. For some grand-kids seeing their grandparents on a regular basis is the best option. Others need to be removed from a physically and emotionally damaging environment permanently. Grandparents are often the first and best option for children to find the stable and secure environment they desperately need and deserve. Check out the links below to help secure visitation with your grandchildren, or fight for the rights of someone who is unable to defend themselves.
- Click Here 😎 for a State-Specific GRANDPARENTS’ RIGHTS MANUAL, and a GRANDPARENTS GOING TO CUSTODY COURT TO ASSERT THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS MANUAL. Both Contain State-Specific Laws, Regulations, Guidelines, and Strategies for Tennessee (TN), and all Fifty States. All the Necessary Legal Forms and Paperwork are Included to Provide the Tools You Need to Secure Visitation, and an Appropriate Environment for Your Grandchildren.
- Click Here 😎 if You or Someone You Know Wishes to Create Their Own Professional Quality Visitation Schedule, Visitation Calendar, Parenting Plan Agreement, Expense Reports, and MUCH MORE. This Allows You to Track Actual Visitation Time and Expenses, Prepare for any Negotiation or Court Appearance, Save $$$… on Attorney Fees, Spend Less Time in Court, and More Time with Your Grandchildren or Children.
The time to act is now, because all children deserve the best that our society has to offer. As a Tennessee grandparent you have rights. 
These rights enable you to request visitation, and also allow you to be a voice for someone who may desperately need your help and support. Life can come with many challenges, but if you believe that everything happens for a reason then life’s challenges will suddenly become an obstacle with a manageable solution. Don’t forget, Tennessee grandparents’ legal rights, regulations, guidelines, and rules of law, regarding grandchild visitation and custody, were also legislated for guidance, advice, and strategies to support the “Best Interests of the Children” standard through TN family law.
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Grandparents’ Rights for Visitation, Custody, and Support
Grandparents' Visitation Rights and Custody Rights allow a legal request for visitation and temporary custody of grandchildren. Grandparents seeking full custody, to raise their grandchildren, have the authority to file for legal guardianship or adoption through a family law custody court hearing judicial process. Read More →
 Grandparents’ Rights for Visitation, Custody, and Support){kind=link}
My granddaughter, along with her mother, has lived with me for 10 months, and then again for 7 months. My granddaughters mother (when she feels like it) just leaves….uproots my granddaughters stability and whole environment. This time she has been keeping my granddaughter from me out of anger and by choice, there is no reasoning behind it. I know that this constant, getting a routine and having it taken away is affecting my granddaughter emotionally along with her well-being.
You should really file a petition for custody of your grandchild.
My son and his wife are getting divorced. She is keeping my 4 grandchildren away from me. They all lived with us on 3 separate occasions while I was the caregiver. Until they separated, the children spent many days and nights at my house. We talked on the phone every day, and I would eat lunch with my oldest grandchild at school. She has put down that I can’t even do that. This is killing me. I want to see my grandchildren. She cheated on her husband with 5 different men. She is using these children. The oldest one snuck a call to me crying his eyes out, saying he misses us so much and wants to live with me. I am disabled, have limited income and I just want to see my grandchildren.
My grand-kids have been visiting me all their lives. They are ages 8, 5, and 2-1/2. Their parents went to jail, and my sons girlfriend’s, not married parents got temp custody. They got out of jail, and 2 months later went back. The grand-kids have been with us all summer living with me and the other grandparents won’t let the grand-kids see me, and i can’t visit them. I have done everything I can to see them. What can I do?
I live in Florida, but my son and his girlfriend, who is due with my grandchild in February, live in Tennessee. Currently they are homeless bouncing from place to place, and living out of their car. My son is working, but spends his money on drugs and foolishly. Is there anything I can do to protect my grandchild?
I have a 5 year old grandson whom I have barely been able to have a relationship with due to either his mother, who is my daughter, keeping him from me because I divorced her father or because of where she has lived with this child, which is a drug house ran by her own grandmother along with the home being nasty. I was there when my grandson was born, changed his first diaper, feed him first, clothed him first, and stayed with his mother in the hospital taking care of him while she recovered from a c-section. Now she has a 1 month old daughter who is in foster care with her father because my granddaughter was born addicted to opiates and spent 3 weeks in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). I want to see and have more relationship with them and even help my ex take care of them, but she tells me her lawyer said I have to petition the court to see the kids. They are currently in a stable and safe environment. I want to see them without her causing problems for me or her father. She currently, has no legal rights to the children and my ex is fine with me seeing and having a relationship with my grand-babies. Help! Where would I start or what to do? I do not have money for attorney fees and she knows this.
I have a situation where I believe my daughter is putting my grand daughter (who lives with me) in danger. It is a long story but to put in bluntly, she (my daughter) has a “new” boyfriend and I know he is not a good influence because of his past. He seems to deal with people that are involved with illegal activity! This is not the first time she has done this to my grand daughter and has been extremely distant and sneaky about the current situation. My grand daughter and daughter came to live with us last year and my grand daughter is in school in TN and does very well. She is an innocent child that is being put in dangerous situations. I need some advice as to what I can do to protect her from getting into yet another dysfunctional situation. I am very desperate as my daughter is very secretive in her behavior lately and I know she is up to something!!!
My daughter dropped off her two kids, they are 2 and 5. She lives in another state and the fathers don’t have anything to do with the kids. I’ve had them for over a year, is there anything I can do to get full custody?
My daughter has a two year old. I was there when he was born at 25 weeks, and I was there all the time in the hospital. She had me listed with her to have parental rights for him in hospital. Now he is two, and my daughter leaves all the time. Going to a class, store, or whatever and doesn’t come back till next day or two sometimes. She took a night job when I said don’t, and she had a day job offered. She took the night job and will be gone over night so the baby with me, and I will have to take him to daycare because she won’t be home in time. She did ask me about this before deciding. She does not buy anything he needs. I pay for food, diapers, and milk, and my mother or I buy his clothes. She does not even wake up at night if he is up some. He just walks through house to find someone. When she stays out she blocks me so I can’t call or text her. If not blocked she don’t answer anyway. He has been sick before and I couldn’t reach her. What Can I do? I don’t want her taking him and living with lord knows who and not taking care of him.