Parenting Plan Basics

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.