What Goes Into a Good Custody Agreement and Parenting Plan? - By: Rose Marchland

As soon as a couple with children divorces or separates, they must come up with a plan for how they plan to continue to provide for and care for their children. The reason for this is that the state wants to ensure that a child still has everything necessary, even after the parents separate. This plan is called a child custody agreement or parenting plan. These are essentially the same thing, and they are created in basically the same way. Here are some suggestions for parents to think about as they create their agreement.

The first decision that must be made for the parenting plan is what type of custody the parents want. There are two types of custody that must be determined: legal and physical. Legal custody refers to the responsibility that parents have in making important decisions for their children. This includes decisions about medical care, education, religion, childcare, etc. Physical custody refers to the physical care and protection that parents have over their children. This includes providing housing, clothing, food, and other necessities for the children.

A mother and father can share the responsibilities of custody, or one parent can be given the responsibility. When parents share it is called joint custody, and when one parent is given full authority it is called sole custody. Parents can also have joint legal custody with a sole physical custody arrangement.

The type of custody that the parents should have depends on the situation. The child custody agreement should be made based on the child's best interest. So, the parents should decide these things based on what would best suit the needs of the child. Generally, it is in the best interest of the child to have both parents as involved as possible in the child's life.

Once the custody type has been decided, parents can move on to creating the custody and visitation schedule. This schedule outlines the parenting time for physical custody. The schedule should include a repeating cycle of custody and visitation, a holiday schedule, and vacation time.

Along with the schedule, parents can include provisions and stipulations in the agreement. These are rules that the parents agree to follow as they raise the children. The mother and father can have provisions about visitation transportation, traveling with the child, expenses, legal custody, etc.

Including all of these things in the parenting plan will help the plan be complete. This type of plan is better for the children and for the parents because everyone knows what to expect. This helps everyone follow the plan better, and it helps everyone enjoy the custody situation more.

About the Author

Custody X Change is custody software that makes it easy for parents to create great child custody agreements and complete parenting plans by making a custody and visitation schedule, adding parenting provisions, and printing out their entire custody agreement.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Rose-Marchland/80323

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