You can feel quite the sense of loss when the courts decide you will be the noncustodial parent to your children, but this does not mean things cannot change in the future. There are a number of steps you can take to make sure you are in a stronger position the next time you want to challenge the custody of your kids in the courts, but you need to start getting organized now.

1. Organize a Home Study

When you want to prove to the court that you are deadly serious about wanting to regain partial custody of your children, you need evidence that your home and professional lives are both conducive to this happening. One of the best ways to do this is to organize a home study that you can submit the findings of to the court before they ask for one to be done.

The home study is performed by a social worker, and you can get the process underway by contacting your local court to request the contact details of the service they prefer to be used. If they have no preference, look for a licensed therapist who can conduct court-recognized home study sessions.

A new home study is of vital importance if there was something about your living or working conditions that were used against you during the first custody trial. For example, if you had a flatmate who took part in recreational drugs in your home, you can use the study as evidence that the flatmate is no longer living there.

2. Use a Lawyer

While paying lawyers fees is not always the easiest thing to work into the budget, the fact remains that a family attorney knows many different ways to reopen a child custody case.

There needs to be a very specific reason to go back before the courts to challenge a set custody arrangement. Valid reasons to do so include a change in the wishes of the child or evidence the child is not doing well at school under the supervision of the custodial parent. You will need the right evidence to back up any claim you make, and your lawyer can steer you in the right direction so you know what you need to do.

Don't give up hope about being a custodial parent just because the court didn't find in your favor the first time around. Instead, get some great legal advice so that you can attempt the process again. There is nothing to lose, and your kids to gain. Find a family and divorce attorney like J. Scott Braden to get started.