Being a grandparent is a beautiful but complex experience. You have a growing and precious bond with the child of your child, but the relationship that you have with your grandchild is typically dependent on the goodwill and cooperation of your child and their spouse.
When your child divorces their spouse and loses custody or the state terminates your child’s parental rights, you might worry that you won’t get to see your grandchild anymore. However, Georgia does have laws in place that protect your role in their life as a grandparent.
Georgia law specifically allows extended family to seek visitation
There is a popular saying that it takes a village to raise a child. The broader and more well-rounded the support network in place for a child experiencing a parental divorce, the easier it will be for them to adjust to the future. The same is true of a child experiencing the trauma of state involvement in their family life.
Maintaining the special relationship you have with your grandchild through regular visitation can benefit both you and the child, whether the child is with your former in-law or unrelated foster parents. In certain situations, grandparents can step up as serve as foster or adoptive parents for their grandchildren as well.
Provided that you can show the courts that you have a pre-existing relationship with the child, through photographs or even documentation that you lived together, you will likely be able to convince a family court judge that allowing regular visitation is in the best interest of the child.
