Grandparents' Visitation Rights. Nebraska law gives the authority to award visitation to grandparents if the court finds that the grandparents had previously established a significant, beneficial relationship with the children, and that it is in the best interests of the children to continue that relationship.

Grandparents & Custody. With respect to custody, while either parent is alive, there is typically a preference that custody of a child be with the mother or father. In the event that one parent is unfit to care for the children the other parent ordinarily has a preference in law for the custody of a child. When both parents are unfit to care for the children ordinarily custody is preferred to go to a blood relative, providing a grandparent with a viable opportunity to show the court that it is better for the child to be in his/her custody as opposed to other blood relatives. Courts will consider the age, health, and financial ability of the grandparent(s) to support and care for a child.

Who will get Custody?

There are many factors that affect who will get custody of the children. Some of the considerations are:

who takes care of the children?

who are they closest to?

each child's age

the stability and character of the parents

elements of the parents' and children's lifestyles, such as neighborhood, school, church, employment and relatives.