If you live in Washington, you need to know the laws for creating a custody agreement. Familiarize yourself with the right information to create a great Washington custody agreement.
It
is important, if you are separated or divorced with children, to know
the laws of your state as they pertain to child custody and
visitation. If you live in Washington, you need to know and
understand the child custody laws mandated by the state. You can find
these laws in Chapter 26.09 of the Revised
Code of Washington.
In Chapter 26.09, separated and divorced parents can find guidelines
for creating a Washington custody agreement. The state of Washington
requires parents to create a plan about custody arrangements so you
need to know what Washington requires to go in an agreement.
Each
parent involved in Washington custody proceedings is required to file
a proposed permanent parenting plan or custody agreement. In
Washington, these two documents are one and the same. The state of
Washington designates that a custody agreement be called a parenting
plan. The objectives of a parenting plan, according to Chapter
26.09.184 of the Washington Revised Code, are to:
Provide
for the child's physical care
Maintain
the child's emotional stability
Provide
for the changing needs of the child in such a way that future
modifications to the plan are minimized
Set
forth each parent's responsibility and authority in respect to the
child
Minimize
the child's exposure to any harmful conflict between parents
Encourage
parents to meet their responsibilities through the plan instead of
using judicial intervention
Protect
the child's best interests
Your
parenting plan should contain information about how each parent will
fulfill all of the above objectives. Chapter 26.09.184 of the
Washington Revised Code also includes all of the requirements your
parenting plan should have and what must be included in the plan so
ti will meet the above objectives. Your Washington custody agreement
or parenting plan should contain:
Provisions
for resolution of future parental disputes
Allocation
of decision-making authority
The
child's residential provisions
Chapter
26.09.184 details specific information about each part of your
parenting plan and how you can make it so a Washington court will
accept it; you need to become familiar with all of that information.
By doing this and working with the other parent, you can make a
wonderful and effective Washington custody agreement.
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.
