A parenting plan allows co-parents to manage custody and visitation matters. They can submit a plan, which the court must approve. If they cannot agree, then a judge will decide on it. If you are in the process of drafting a parenting plan, which topics do you want to include and what mistakes do you want to avoid?
The need to be specific
A parenting plan must indicate who has legal custody. It also must state who the primary physical custodian is and who the noncustodial parent is. Moreover, it should specify that whichever parent is with the children will be the one to decide on their day-to-day care as well as emergency health and safety matters.
Creating a parenting plan requires time and effort, so co-parents should aim to avoid the following mistakes:
- Failing to assign who the decision-maker will be in specific situations: Co-parents may be joint decision-makers on education, nonemergency health care, extracurricular activities and religious upbringing, but they should also assign the custodial or noncustodial parent to take care of specified major decisions. Moreover, they should agree on who will be the final decision-maker when there are disagreements.
- Neglecting to create a detailed schedule: The parenting time schedule should be as detailed as possible to prevent schedule setbacks. Co-parents should specify schedules during weekdays and weekends. They can also create visitation schedules on holidays, for special occasions and during spring, summer and winter breaks from school.
- Failing to specify matters on communication, transportation and information: Co-parents should state how they will communicate and how they can contact their children when they’re with the other parent. For transportation, they must establish where they will exchange the children. Also, they should mention their rights to access their kids’ records and other information.
Additionally, co-parents must not forget to determine in the parenting plan how they should conduct themselves when the kids are in their custody. Topics to cover could include avoiding excessive alcohol consumption and the usage of illegal drugs. They could also establish what will happen if a parent commits a driving under the influence (DUI) offense.
Promoting the welfare of your kids
A parenting plan paves the way for co-parents to support their children while promoting their welfare. As they should always act in the best interests of their kids, co-parents may seek legal assistance to create a thorough and feasible parenting plan and avoid mistakes.