Types Of Child Custody Parenting Arrangements For Divorce Cases

Whenever a couple is going through a divorce, one of the most common issues tackled in court is child custody. And the fact of the matter is, it is a complex proceeding that the couple has to go through as the court has to primarily consider the welfare of their child and make sure the parents will be able to provide the best care possible after divorce.

So if you’re going through a divorce or know someone who is having this situation now, we advise you to continue reading as we are going to talk about the types of child custody parenting arrangements for divorce cases in today’s article.

 

Modes Of Parenting As Legally Recognized By The Court For Divorcing Couples

Here are the types of parenting arrangements that are legally recognized by the court. Take note that the mode of parenting chosen will vary based on the situation of the divorcing parents because one type of parenting arrangement may work for a certain parents but not necessarily on other parents:

1. Co-Parenting

Co-parenting is defined as a parenting arrangement where the couple is still committed to jointly participate and be involved in the upbringing, development, and activities of their child (children) after divorce. This mode of parenting requires both parents to interact with each other for the sake of the child’s welfare in both public and private settings.

The key aspects of co-parenting are the commitment to work together, setting aside personal issues, and maintaining civility. And to ensure co-parenting will be effective, the divorced couple must develop a plan to set the right expectations and make sure that both sides have the same goals in being proactively involved in all aspects of their child’s development like healthcare, which school the child will enroll, transportation, extracurricular matters, etc. Aside from that, the co-parenting plan is recommended to reduce any opportunities for conflict.

As previously stated, co-parenting may not work for everyone. But if you and your former spouse decide to go for this mode of parenting arrangement, it will help you as a parent and your child to cope up after the divorce process. For unwed parents, check out it this link to learn more about California’s child custody law for unmarried parents.

2. Parallel Parenting

In essence, this parenting arrangement is the exact opposite of co-parenting.

Parallel parenting is usually selected by couples who frequently argue and can’t communicate effectively so they can still spend time with their child (children) separately. In short, the couple spends time with their kids independently to minimize the hostilities which can affect their child’s holistic development.

So rather than creating a plan that encourages interaction of both parents for their child’s welfare, the divorcing spouse will carry out their parenting duties while minimizing interaction from the other parent.

However, due to the nature of less interaction between parents, a parallel parenting plan has to be made with the assistance of a judge. And this independent parenting arrangement is decided based on the pieces of evidence and arguments presented by divorcing parents in court. To be specific, the judge will have to legally establish and enforce rules and regulations to address various issues such as:

• Speaking against the former spouse in front of the child.
• Using kid(s) as intermediary (ies) for communications.
• Making decisions on trivial matters like shopping, going out with friends, curfew, using mobile gadgets, etc.
• Allotting appropriate time and venue to communicate with each other when their child is not around.
• Snooping around when the kid is communicating with one parent during their scheduled parenting time.

In some ways, parallel parenting may be less beneficial compared to co-parenting when speaking about the nurturing and overall development of the child. But it’s an effective solution that divorcing spouses have to take if being civil to each other is not possible.

Even so, both parents MUST see to it that they’re still looking after their child’s welfare even if they are doing it separately so the child will still feel the love and care they deserve.

3. Visitation And Scheduled Parenting Time

While co-parenting & parallel parenting models are viable options under proper circumstances, many divorcing spouses will still opt to follow a more traditional structure of parenting, and that is through visitation and scheduled parenting time.

If you and your ex are still considering your child’s welfare as the top priority even if you’re no longer have an active relationship after divorce, then this mode of parenting arrangement will be the most practical solution for your situation.

Mediation is a great way to work out child custody and eventually, the visitation arrangements of the other parent. And this process works best if both parents can work together to sort out issues and parenting schedules without going through lengthy arguments.

Also, one thing to remember is that custody and visitation can change during the course of the child’s life. The court will need to evaluate the arrangements at certain times. If the child has special needs, the court will have to determine what those needs are and how they can be best addressed.

And of course, age will also be a factor in the change of custody as the child will eventually be allowed by the court to choose to change or retain the existing custody arrangements the moment he or she will reach a certain age (12 years old being the minimum age where the child is already allowed to express their preference on

What Makes A Parenting Arrangement Work?

Whether the divorcing spouse will choose co-parenting, parallel parenting, or the visitation model, the only way for a parenting arrangement to work is to ALWAYS look after the child’s welfare above all else.

After all, the kids are the ones who are mostly affected when during divorce cases. So as parents, you should see to it that all of your child’s needs are met from their healthcare to the financial aspect. And they must reside in an environment free from any hindrances like neglect or violence so they’ll be able to develop normally despite the fact that their parents are already divorced.

Overall, parenting never stops after divorce. So whatever mode of parenting you and your ex will choose, make sure that it will benefit the child and will contribute to his/her overall growth.

If you need professional help, you can visit Law Offices of Leon Bennett in CA today.