If you and your spouse share minor children, you can expect to undergo a more complicated divorce process. Even if you both agree on a parenting arrangement, a court will still have to approve the agreement first before you can use the parenting schedule. Going to court to address child custody issues is necessary. If you want to protect your rights and make sure you get the best parenting time with your children, allow an Ottawa Child Custody Lawyer to help you.
Parenting Time and Legal Custody
Parenting time is the time you have physical custody of your children. Legal custody is currently called decision-making responsibility. Usually, divorce proceedings address custody issues when kids are involved. One parent can be awarded more parenting time through a court-issued parenting order or a separation agreement. This parent is the primary custodian of the child, which means they live with the child most of the time. Meanwhile, the non-custodial parent is given parenting time. In addition, parents can share parenting time, which means the child can spend a minimum of 40% of the time with every parent.
Typically, a parent’s decision-making responsibility covers their education, medical care, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities. Just because a parent has more parenting time doesn’t mean they have greater decision-making responsibility than the other. This responsibility can be joint or awarded to one parent. But even if this responsibility is awarded to one parent, both parents must be informed about serious issues in the life of the child.
Kinds of Parenting Time Arrangements
These arrangements can be a shared parenting time or a sole custody arrangement. In a shared parenting time arrangement, the child divides time at the house of every parent. If one parent is awarded sole custody to the child, the non-custodial parent can spend parenting time with the child. This parenting time includes the time spent by a parent who is responsible for the child during a certain period. A skilled child custody attorney can advocate for the best parenting time arrangement that works for you, ensuring the needs of your child are met.
Additionally, parenting time can be fixed, open, or supervised. A fixed parenting time means every parent cares for their child on a set schedule. In an open parenting time, the non-custodial parent can spend be with the child on a schedule that has yet to be determined. Lastly, a supervised parenting time allows the non-custodial parent to visit the child with the supervision of another responsible adult.
Attorney Sean P. Sullivan has over 10 years of experience in the fields of family law and business law. He and the DuPage County divorce attorneys of SBK Law Group provide dedicated representation for clients, helping them resolve highly contested disputes and find effective solutions to their legal issues.
