The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) is a uniform act that has been adopted by all 50 states, including California, to address jurisdictional issues for child custody disputes. Its main purposes are to: 1. Ensure that custody litigation takes place in the child's home state, which is defined as the state where the child has lived with a parent or a person acting as a parent for at least six consecutive months prior to the commencement of the child custody proceedings. If the child is less than six months old, the home state is where the child has lived since birth. 2. Protect children from interstate abduction by a parent or guardian. 3. Avoid jurisdictional competition and conflict between states in matters of child custody. 4. Facilitate cooperation between states in the enforcement of custody orders. 5. Promote greater certainty in the determination of custody matters. The UCCJEA establishes a hierarchy of criteria for determining which state has jurisdiction to make initial decisions about child custody. Once a state's court makes a custody determination, that state keeps jurisdiction over the case until it decides it no longer has a connection to the case or the parties involved, or until both parties have moved out of the state. It's important to note that the UCCJEA does not create or modify custody laws; rather, it dictates which state's courts have the jurisdiction to make custody and visitation decisions.