Arkansas Child Custody Law Summary After a breakup or divorce in Arkansas, couples with children must come to a child custody agreement that describes which parent the children will live with, how visitation will be scheduled, and how the non-custodial parent will pay child support. Do you have a comment or correction concerning this page? But when children are involved, they can include settling disputes over custody (who is the main caretaker), visitation (how often and under what specific conditions will the non-custodial parent see the child), and child support (financial assistance in raising the child). Arkansas child custody laws in the case of unmarried parents If a child is born to an unmarried woman in Arkansas, legal custody of the child will be given to the mother until the child reaches the age of eighteen. The grandparent was the primary caregiver for and financial supporter of the grandchild during the time the grandchild resided with the grandparent Divorce and separation cases can be complicated to begin with. If you are being denied your visitation rights, contact a private attorney. The court considers many factors when deciding the best interests of the child. When a circuit judge determines that the appointment of an attorney ad litem would facilitate a case in which custody is an issue and further protect the rights of the child, the circuit judge may appoint a private attorney to represent the child. A judge might have to make a decision about custody in a divorce, paternity, or, in some sense, guardianship matter. OCSE does not have the authority to petition the court for a change of custody. We read every comment! OCSE does not have any authority to address these issues. First and foremost, a child custody grant is never conclusive. Child custody cases in Arkansas can be either contested and resolved by court order, or noncontested and defined in a child custody agreement between the parents. In this section you will find information on laws regarding alimony, child support, custody, divorce, visitation, and even property division for the state of Arkansas. While OCSE doesn’t have the authority to address custody and visitation, the Arkansas Access and Visitation Mediation Program may be available if both parties are willing to sit together to come up with a solution. Noncustodial parents –You may not stop paying court-ordered child support because the custodial party denies court-ordered periods of visitation. The judge will evaluate the specifics of the custody dispute to determine what custody arrangement is in the best interests of the child. If a party to an action concerning custody of or a right to visitation with a child is a sex offender who is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997, 12-12-901 et seq., the circuit court may not award custody or unsupervised visitation of the child to the sex offender unless the circuit court makes a specific finding that the sex offender poses no danger to the child. Who is involved in making parenting decisions (legal custody). Only the court may create, change, or enforce custody and visitation orders. In the state of Arkansas, a number of factors are taken into account by the courts when determining who gets child custody. Is there a set list of statutory factors for calculating child custody in the state of Arkansas? To find out if you qualify for the program, click here to visit the Arkansas Access and Visitation Mediation Program page and click the button “Am I Eligible?”. 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