In this video, our Polk County child custody attorney explains how Iowa Law requires that the court consider the best interests of the child and order​ a custody​ arrangement​ that will allow the child to maintain consistent physical and emotional contact with both parents whenever possible to encourage parents to share the rights and responsibilities of raising the child, so long as doing so will not cause physical or significant emotional harm to the children, other children, or either parent.  Custody is broken down into three parts: “joint legal custody,” “sole legal custody,” “physical placement.”

In this video, our Polk County child custody attorneys explain how the Iowa court considers several factors when deciding a child custody case. Because every child custody case is unique, it’s impossible to say which, if any, of the following factors are weighed more heavily than others by a judge.

• Facts about the child (age, special mental or emotional needs, overall physical health)
• Facts about the parents (age, financial stability, character, overall mental and physical health)
• Relationships between each parent, child, siblings, and step-siblings before and after separation
• Home environment and level of stability provided by each parent
• Testimony of other family members, associates, or independent parties
• Additional details as provided.

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In this video, our Polk County child custody attorneys explain how the court has held the ability of each parent to support the other parent’s relationship is instrumental in the successful mental, emotional, and social development of the children. Courts routinely hold that parental alienation of affection, when one parent interferes with the child’s feelings of love and affection for another parent, is something that will weigh heavily against the parent responsible for the alienation. This may result in custody being ordered in favor of the non-alienating parent, or the custody order being modified to give the non-alienating parent more visitation time.

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