Grandparents may be awarded custody of their grandchildren under child in need of care actions, through a determination by a divorce court that there is probable cause that the child may be a child in need of care or they may be granted guardianship of their grandchildren under certain circumstances. Grandparents have a statutory mechanism to obtain visitation rights with their grandchildren if they can meet certain requirements. These requirements include being the actual grandparent, having a prior existing relationship with the grandchild, and providing evidence that continuing or renewing that relationship would be in the best interest of the child. Joe Huerter has been a frequent speaker of the topic of grandparent visitation and has handled cases for grandparents involving both custody and visitation issues across Kansas.