If you are going through a divorce and there are children involved, it can make an already heart-wrenching, difficult time even harder. Though you and your soon-to-be-ex-spouse no longer are able to work through your relationship issues effectively, you still both love your children and want them to be with you for as much of the time as possible. Sometimes during particularly contentious child custody battles, it becomes necessary to enlist the services of a private investigation firm to perform a child custody investigation on your spouse in order to prove to the court that you are the rightful parent to have sole custody of your child or children. Alternatively, if your spouse is making allegations that you are not fit to properly parent the children, an investigation launched by their legal team can make or break your child custody court case. Here are some answers to questions you may have about child custody investigations.

Is a child custody investigation really necessary?

Child Custody Investigation

That is a question you and your attorney need to ask yourself prior to deciding whether to seek assistance from a private investigator. If you and your spouse are able to amicably and peacefully come up with a visitation and custody agreement outside of court, that is, of course, the best option for everyone involved. However, in particularly acrimonious divorces, it is not uncommon for one or both parties involved to go to great lengths to convince the court that the other is not a responsible or fit parent. If you are truly convinced that you have reason to be concerned about your spouse’s parenting abilities, or if they have any personality or lifestyle issues that directly impact the well-being of your children, your best course of action is to hire a private investigator to obtain court-admissible evidence to support your custody case. For example, if you suspect that your spouse exhibits abusive behavior toward or around the children, or if he or she has an alcohol or substance abuse problem, or even if he or she has a work schedule that does not fit with the demands of parenting, your private investigator can employ strategies to collect information you will need to support your claim and win you custody of your children.

What if I’m the one being investigated?

On the other end of the spectrum, if you find yourself at the receiving end of the investigation, remember that a reputable private investigator will never compromise his or her ethical responsibility, and will only bring back damaging evidence if there is any to be had. In other words, if you legitimately are conducting yourself in a manner befitting a responsible, caring parent, you have nothing to fear from the results of the investigation. In fact, having a private investigator hired by your spouse conclude that there is no reason why you shouldn’t be allowed custody of your children can be a total game changer in your court hearing. However, if the investigator finds that you are engaging in activities or behavior that is unhealthy for your children to be around, be advised that it can seriously damage your court case and ultimately cost you custody of your children.

The most important thing to remember about child custody investigations is that the number one priority of the investigator is your children’s well-being. Conducting a child custody investigation is one way to ensure that the children’s best interests are being upheld and respected, in order to help them make a difficult transition as smooth and painless as possible.

If you are in need of investigative services for a child custody case, J.P. Investigative Group is here to help. Call 877.990.2111 today to schedule a consultation with an experienced member of our investigative team.