PALawHelp.org

Custody and Guardianship of Children

Legal Information

This section of PALawHelp.org has information and resources about Custody and Guardianship of Children issues in Pennsylvania.

• Custody Proceedings - Representing Yourself: Forms and Information from the Pennsylvania Courts

  Free online information is available from the Pennsylvania Courts website to assist the growing number of Pennsylvanians who want to file their own family law cases in courts across the state. Standardized court forms for child custody proceedings may be obtained on this page of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania’s website. Included are forms for both parents and third parties, including grandparents. Read More

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  Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts

• Child Custody Relocation - Changing the Residence of Your Child (Northwestern Pennsylvania)

  Information from Northwestern Legal Services on your obligations when you change the residence of a child in your physical custody. Included are forms and instructions for use in the following counties in northwestern Pennsylvania: Crawford; Erie; Mercer; and Venango, as well as a way to generate the necessary forms in any county in Pennsylvania. Read More

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  Northwestern Legal Services

• Local Forms and Self-Help Information

  For local forms and information for your county, click the title to see the SELF-HELP FORMS AND INFORMATION sub-topic. Counties are listed alphabetically after some generally applicable forms or you can set your location on the page to see only forms applicable for that location. Content Detail

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  PALawHELP.org

• PA Courts Public Access Policy - Filing Requirements in the Courts (Video)

  Effective on January 6, 2018, a new Public Access Policy is in effect in Pennsylvania Courts. This policy imposes requirements on anyone filing court documents in the trial and appellate courts to safeguard information in the documents they file. The Pennsylvania Courts have released this series of videos that explain the judiciary’s new policy for protecting confidential information and the required steps you must take to protect that information when filing documents in the courts. Content Detail

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  Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts

• Child Custody

  Information from Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc. on child custody proceedings and the child custody process. Content Detail

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  Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc.

• Criminal Record and Abuse History in Custody Actions with Instructions

  Beginning in September 2013 any person filing a complaint for custody, or any petition for modification for custody must also file a verification regarding any criminal or abuse history of the petitioner and anyone living in the petitioner’s household. This form, completed and filed following the included instructions, may be used to satisfy this requirement. [PDF] Content Detail

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  North Penn Legal Services

• Custody

  Chapter 5 of Family Law Manual, developed by North Penn Legal Services. [PDF] Read More

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  North Penn Legal Services

• Custody

  Fact sheet from the Youth Justice Project on child custody. [PDF] Content Detail

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  Youth Justice Project

• Custody Law in Pennsylvania

  General information on custody law in Pennsylvania Content Detail

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  Neighborhood Legal Services Association

• Custody Update 2014 (Video)

  This video from North Penn Legal Services, presented by Ellen Kramer of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, provides updated information for issues related to custody relocation and the factors a court needs to consider in any custody case. Read More

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  North Penn Legal Services

• Family Law for Teen Parents

  Family Law for Teen Parents is a complete guide from Philadelphia Legal Assistance for teen parents about their rights and responsibilities when it comes to paternity, child custody, child support, protection from abuse, and emancipation. The guide features easy-to-follow graphics and plenty of real-world examples, targeted towards teen parents and their advocates, and includes a resource guide for teens who need extra help. [PDF] Read More

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  Philadelphia Legal Assistance

• Filing for Custody or Modifying a Custody Order in Northwestern Pennsylvania (Video and Forms)

  Northwestern Legal Services provides this video overview of how to file for custody or modify a custody order in northwestern Pennsylvania and forms for proceeding in the following counties: Cameron; Crawford; Elk; Erie; Forest; Mercer; McKean; Venango; and Warren. Read More

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  Northwestern Legal Services

• General Information On Custody and Visitation

  Definitions and general information on custody and visitation from Northwestern Legal Services. Read More

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  Northwestern Legal Services

• Grandparents - Partial Custody or Visitation

  Information from Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc. on the custody rights of grandparents. Content Detail

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  Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Services, Inc.

• Inside Custody Court: Factors Relevant to Custody Decisions (Video)

  This video produced by Penn Law School with the assistance of Philadelphia Legal Assistance, provides an introduction to the factors relevant to custody decisions in Pennsylvania. Read More

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  Penn Law School and Philadelphia Legal Assistance