Family law

Family law covers issues related to marriage and cohabitation, the relationship between parents and children, and inheritance law. It also includes rules regarding guardians and trustees. The most important laws in family law are the Marriage Act, the , the Inheritance Code, and the Cohabitation Act. As a guardian, you have both the right and the obligation to make decisions regarding matters that concern the child. You make important decisions regarding the child and are responsible for the child’s daily life. This may involve, for example, where the child will live and which preschool or school they will attend. Family law also refers to the unit within social services in many municipalities where legal issues are addressed and processed, such as in cases involving child custody.

According to the Act on Custody, Placement, and Visitation, the child’s situation is divided into three categories. Both parents may have joint custody. The parent with custody of the child may decide where the child will live and attend school while the child is under 18, until the child becomes an adult. When the court convenes to resolve a custody dispute, these are the three areas regarding child custody and visitation that a court must decide based on the child’s best interests and taking into account the child’s need for close contact with their parents—and not the parents’ need for close contact with the child. The starting point in assessing the child’s best interests is that it is in the child’s best interest for the parents to be able to agree on visitation and custody matters.