How to get custody of your child

In North Carolina there are many avenues to getting custody of your child. There are two types of custody, physical custody and legal custody. Physical custody has to do with who has physical control over the child. If a parent has visitation rights, during the period of visitation they have physical custody of the child. Legal custody has to do with which parent has the legal right to custody at a given time.

The easiest way to determine custody is through a custody agreement. Parents sit down and determine who gets the child, and when. After that there is the option of out of court mediation, in which case the parents sit down with a mediator to see is they can settle their differences. There is also the option of court mandated mediation, in which case the court orders an attempt at mediation. Finally, the court will if necessary determine which parent should have custody of the child.