Pennsylvania Custody Law Updates for Grandparents and Third Parties

Changes to Pennsylvania’s child custody laws went into effect earlier this month. The new law, Act 21 of 2018, amends Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania statutes as it relates to “providing for standing for any form of physical custody or legal custody, for standing for partial physical custody and supervised physical custody and for consideration of criminal conviction.”

As Bertin further remarks, “As can be gleaned from the plain meaning of the new law, in a situation where neither parent has any form of caring control of the child, as long as an individual is willing to assume responsibility for the child and has a sustained, substantial, and sincere interest in the welfare of the child, that individual has the ability to seek custody of the child. This is a victory for children across the state who find themselves in situations where neither of their parents are available to care for them.”

To read more, see here.