| Legal MattersTermination Of Parental Rights
| When parental rights are terminated, the legal relationship between a parent and a child is severed. In Colorado, termination of parental rights can occur voluntarily or involuntarily. A parent can voluntarily relinquish their parental rights, for example, during an adoption. Alternatively, the State of Colorado can bring a Dependency and Neglect action against the parents to terminate their parental rights by court order.
The court will only enter an order terminating parental rights if it finds clear and convincing evidence that:- the child has been abandoned by his or her parents;
- parent is determined to be unfit due to emotional or mental illness or a mental deficiency;
- the parent is unfit due to a single incident resulting in serious bodily injury or disfigurement of the child and no appropriate treatment can be devised;
- the parent is in long-term confinement and not eligible for parole in six years - or 36 months if the child is under six years of age - and no appropriate treatment plan can be devised;
- there has been serious injury or death of a sibling due to proven parental abuse or neglect;
- there has been torture of or extremely cruelty to the child, a sibling or another child of either parent; or
- there is a pattern of habitual abuse or sexual abuse
A parent's right to raise their children is a fundamental right. When your parental rights are in dispute, you need a family law attorney who can provide the experience, education, guidance, and advocacy necessary to protect your rights as a parent and fight for your children's best interests. |
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