It is important that you understand your state's laws about child custody if you are a divorced or separated parent. In order to create an Ohio parenting plan, follow the guidelines below.
In
order to create an effective parenting plan in Ohio, you need to know
some general terms the state uses. Before we delve into how to create
an Ohio parenting plan, let's take a look at those terms and their
definitions.
Legal
custody: This is the
parents' responsibility to make decisions concerning their child.
These are decisions about child care, education, dental and medical
care, religion, etc.
In
a sole legal custody arrangement, one parent has the responsibility
to make decisions for the child.
In
a joint legal custody arrangement, both parents share this
responsibility. They may divide decisions or may consult one
another about all decisions.
Physical
custody: This is how the parents share time with their child. It
must be determined where the child will live during the week,
on weekends, for vacations, during holidays, etc.
In
a sole physical custody arrangement, one parent has the primary
care and residence of the child while the other parent has
visitation rights.
In
a joint physical custody arrangement, both parents spend
substantial time with the child. It does not have to be exactly
equal.
A
parenting plan in Ohio must have certain sections and information to
ensure it will be accepted by the court. The sections of a parenting
plan should be:
The
type of legal and physical custody the parents have decided upon,
A
schedule for visitation and custody
that
shows when each parent has the child,
A
schedule for special events, holidays and vacations,
How
decisions for the child will be made,
How
changes will be made to the plan,
How
parents will resolve disputes that arise about raising their child,
Additional
provisions the parents choose to include, and
Any
extra information that needs to be included regarding custody
arrangements.
In
Ohio, you and the other parent may submit
a parenting plan when you file for custody.
If you can agree on a plan and submit it together, the court will
review it to ensure that is in the best interests of your child. If
the court finds that it is in the child's best interests, they will
immediately accept it. If it does not find that your parenting plan
is made in the child's best interests, the court will request that
changes be made. If you make the court-required changes, they will
accept it. If you cannot agree on a plan together, you may submit
individual plans to the court. The court will then review both plans
to see if either plan is better for your child. The court may ask
either of you to make changes or it may accept either plan entirely
or take parts from both plans. If only one parent submits a plan, the
court may ask the other parent to also submit one. If neither parent
submits a plan, or the plan(s) submitted do not meet the child's best
interests, the court will make decisions about custody and create the
final Ohio parenting plan.
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 designed to assist in child custody visitation schedules, custody agreements and parenting plans.
