I'm a relative who wants legal custody. What happens in those cases?
The law says grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives who want legal custody have to show the court that the parents are not fit to care for the child - for example, that the parents have abandoned, neglected, or abused the child or that there are other extraordinary issues about the parents' care. If the court agrees about these things, the court can then consider whether it would be best for the child for the relative to have legal custody instead of one or both of the parents.