Grandparents may seek legal custody of their grandchildren for a number of reasons. The complexity of this situation will basically depend on whether the parents and grandparents are in agreement about the grandparents custody issue.

Grandparents custody is awarded by the courts- it is not a written agreement between the parents and the grandparents. If the parents and the grandparents are not in agreement, then the grandparents will have to prove to the court that custody of someone other than the parent is in the best interest of the child.

If abuse or neglect is suspected, then it must be reported to the Department of Social Service. It is important to record and preserve reasons why the child should be removed from the custody of the parents. The court will not make decisions lightly and clear evidence must be presented by the grandparent seeking custody of the child.

When someone other than the parent becomes the legal custodian of the child, the other family relationships of the child don't change, as in the case of adoptions. When seeking grandparents custody, the best way is to hire an attorney to do the work for you. But this is an expensive option. You can always use the more cost effective ways by getting educated about the grandparents custody rights situation in your state. You can also research the ways of obtaining custody rights without an attorney.