Parenting plan outlines how separated or divorced parents will continue caring for and making decisions about their children.
An effective parenting plan should be personalized for your family's needs and cover key topics like:
Custody Arrangements
Specify if one parent will have sole physical and legal custody or if parents will share joint physical and/or legal custody.
Include a detailed parenting time schedule showing when each parent will have the children. Use a calendar to visualize the schedule.
Decision-Making
- Explain how major decisions about the child's education, health care, extracurricular activities, etc. will be made if parents share joint legal custody.
Exchanges and Transportation
Provide details on where, when and how custody exchanges will take place.
Specify who is responsible for transporting the child between households.
Holidays and Vacations
Create a holiday parenting time schedule. Consider including a multi-year rotation so the schedule is clear.
Include guidelines for vacation time with each parent.
Communication and Guidelines
Describe rules for communication between parents and between parents and children.
Include provisions like not speaking negatively about the other parent in front of the child.
Expenses and Child Support
Specify how health insurance, medical expenses, school fees, extracurricular costs, etc. will be paid.
Indicate if child support will be paid and if so, how much.
Resolving Disputes
Provide a method for resolving disagreements about the plan like mediation.
Include a schedule for reviewing and updating the plan as the child ages.
Special Circumstances
- Add any provisions needed to address unique family circumstances.
Use clear language and provide as much detail as possible to avoid confusion. Having a comprehensive plan made in advance is key for smooth co-parenting.
Step-by-step guide on how to create a comprehensive parenting plan
Creating a parenting plan or agreement is a crucial step for parents who are separating or divorcing.
This plan outlines how both parents will continue to care for and provide for their children. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a comprehensive parenting plan:
Step 1: Understand the Basics
Recognize that the parenting plan will be a legal document that both parents must follow. It should be detailed enough to be useful but flexible enough to be realistic.
Step 2: Decide on Custody and Parenting Time
Firstly, parents must decide on living arrangements for their children, referred to as "physical custody". This could involve the children living equally with each parent, or primarily with one parent with frequent visitation for the other.
Step 3: Legal Decisions
In most cases, parents will equally share the right and responsibility to make major decisions affecting their children’s lives, referred to as “joint legal custody”.
Step 4: Transportation
Parents need to create a plan for reliably transporting their children where they need to go. This includes transportation to and from daycare, school, extracurricular activities, parties, and play dates.
Step 5: Vacations, Holidays, and Special Events
How children will spend their vacations, holidays, and other special events like birthdays, can be a divisive issue between parents. It is important to address this issue early, so both parents understand the rules in advance.
Step 6: Communication
Parents should decide upon a method and schedule for communicating with each other about the children’s lives and for decision-making. Parents should also decide upon a method and schedule for the children to communicate with them.
Step 7: Financial Considerations
Your plan will probably cover a wide variety of financial topics, from who will claim the child as a dependent for taxes to how parents will reimburse each other when necessary.
Step 8: Disagreements and Revising the Plan
Your plan must contain information about how you and the other parent will revise the plan as it becomes necessary. Set a process for reviewing the plan, including a way to resolve disagreements about it.
Step 9: Special Needs of the Child
You can include provisions in your plan to address any special considerations for your child or your family. Think about health conditions, learning needs, work schedules, extended family members and beyond.
Remember, the most important thing to consider when making a parenting plan is what is best for the children. The plan should be tailored to meet your children's ages and stages, and it should demonstrate that you and the other parent are working together in your children's best interests.
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