It is important to have a parenting plan when you are divorced or separated. Here are the basics of a parenting plan to help you get started.
If
you are separated or divorced and have children, you need to have
a parenting
plan. It may also be necessary to make a temporary parenting plan
if you are in the process of custody hearings. Once you have time and
adequate resources to make a permanent parenting plan, you need to
know the main components of an effective
parenting plan. Those components are:
A
parenting time schedule - This schedule shows how and when the
children spend time with their parents. It should include a
residential or everyday plan (where the children live primarily), a
holiday visitation or custody schedule (how holidays are split) and
a vacation time schedule (how vacations and school breaks are
divided). Having this information outlined will help the children
have stability and consistency in their living situation.
A
plan for providing the children's care - You should have a plan
detailing how the children's care is provided. This can be care for
medical purposes, educational needs and other needs your children
have. It should help you determine how decisions will be made for
the children and how expenses will be paid. This plan should include
information about the children's dental and medical needs, religious
beliefs and their educational needs.
Child
support and other expenses - Information about child support should
be included in your parenting plan. Information such as how much
child support is paid, which parent pays it and how often it is paid
should be included. You should also have a financial plan for any
additional expenses outside of what child support covers. Those
expenses may include travel expenses, emergency care, sports and
activities fees and insurance premiums and deductibles.
Extra
provisions - You should have a section that outlines extra
guidelines and rules. Some guidelines may include specific rules
about how parents communicate with each other, parents agreeing to
not say negative things about the each other in front of the
children, a rule about not smoking or drinking alcohol in front of
the children and the right of first refusal. Other rules may include
possible resolutions to parental disagreements and how to make
changes to the plan when needed.
Any
additional information - It may be a good idea to keep a journal or
record about your children's behaviors and activities. You may also
find it useful to make a graph of actual time you spend with the
children. Having this extra information will help make your
parenting plan much more effective.
As
you work with your children's other parent to make an effective
parenting plan,
use the above information as guidelines to help you make the most
beneficial situation for your children.
Tracy Bensun is interested in the law and especially family law. Her main interest lies in how children are affected by divorce and child custody. She has done extensive research on her own and loves to share her knowledge. She is affiliated with Custody X Change, which is a software program designed to assist in child custody visitation schedules, custody agreements and parenting plans.
