Developing an Ohio Parenting Plan

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.