Termination Of Parental Rights

Parental termination is obviously a very harsh remedy and requires a heightened burden of proof to accomplish. In most cases involving divorce and child custody, the petitioner has the burden to prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence, which is the easiest burden to meet. On the contrary, in a termination case, the petitioner must prove their case by clear and convincing evidence, which is the second-highest burden provided in the law.

A person’s parental rights can be terminated for reasons including abuse, endangerment of the child, failure to support the child and other reasons. The majority of parental termination suits in Texas are initiated by Child Protective Services.