12yr old's rights

[steph028550]

What is the name of your state?CA
My 12 year old daughter & I live in California. Her father lives in Kansas. (We moved from there). She was supposed to be going to Kansas to visit her father for approximately 6 weeks this summer. However, he's moved out of his home and is beginning divorce proceedings with his current wife. Now, he says he can't afford to pay for her to come out. Our agreement was that she would spend every other Christmas & every other summer in Kansas and that they were welcome to visit her in California whenever they would like. We were to split all traveling costs. I paid for all but $100 of her expenses to go out at Christmas and I am on a very fixed budget. Well...the main concern here (aside from my daughter's feelings of rejection) is that he has 2 daughter's with his wife - my daughter's half-sisters. Does she have rights to visitation with her sisters? She has been around them all of their young lives. We are worried that her father's actions will keep her from her sisters. Other than this summer, she isn't scheduled to go to Kansas again until Christmas 2006 and their mother won't let them travel to California. Is there any way for me to make sure that even if her father doesn't take advantage of his rights, that she doesn't also loose her sisters in the process?

 

[haiku]

Things sound pretty upside down at dads house right now, he may have no idea where he is going to be, if he has his daughter with him. you might want to give him some time to get through his divorce.

on the other hand it is also Dads right to be a jerk, and not exercise his right to visitation just because he can. And sadly his daughters will be at the mercy of that decision.

the best thing you can do is keep the lines of communication open, lots of letters, e-mail, phone calls between the girls, will help them to keep thier bond strong.

 

[steph028550]

Kansas law?

I know that in some states siblings are actually afforded rights, regardless of the parents' involvement. I just don't know where to start as far as finding out if Kansas is one of those states and/or how we proceed if it is. Lawyers are, for the most part, out of my price range. But, I will figure something out if that's what it takes to keep these girls in each others lives.