Standard Parenting Plans
Co-parenting often proves to be a challenge for divorcing parents, with many couples disagreeing on issues related to custody and child support. However, a couple won’t be able to finalize their divorce until these issues have been resolved through the drafting of a parenting plan. While Florida family law courts do provide parents with standard parenting plan forms to help them contend with these issues, it is also possible to personalize these plans to account for a family’s specific circumstances. To learn more about this process, consider reaching out to an experienced Fort Lauderdale child custody lawyer for help.
Standard Form 12.995 (A-C)
The Florida Supreme Court uses a standard form to help parents who are attempting to draft a parenting plan for their children. Form A is used by most couples, while Form B is utilized when there is a safety concern, such as domestic violence, or another dangerous condition that could require supervised visitation. Form C is specifically intended for the use of parents who are planning on relocating more than 150 miles away.
At a minimum, these forms require parents to describe certain things in detail, such as:
- How the parties will share the daily tasks associated with raising a child;
- The time-sharing arrangements that specify the time that the minor children will spend in the custody of each parent;
- A designation of who will be responsible for the child’s health care and school-related matters, including the address that will be used for determining school boundaries and registration; and
- The methods that the parents can use to communicate with their child when he or she is not in their custody.
Courts use the best interests of the child when assessing the suitability of a parenting plan. What qualifies as being in a child’s best interests will depend on the family’s particular circumstances, as well as the parents’ relationship.
Specialized Parenting Plans
In addition to the aforementioned issues, couples who work with an experienced child custody attorney can address a variety of other parenting time-related matters, by including provisions regarding:
- Holiday plans and traditions;
- The child’s religious upbringing;
- Extracurricular activities;
- School designations;
- Relocation; and
- The processes involved in changing the parenting plan.
Parenting plans can even be used to dictate what types of technologies a child can use to communicate with his or her parents and how often those methods can be used. To learn more about the types of issues that you can cover in your own parenting plan, please call our office today.
Parenting Plan Assistance
Drafting a parenting plan will have long-term repercussions on both you and your child’s life, making it especially important for divorcing parents to speak with an experienced child custody attorney. Having a thorough understanding of your rights and how to best incorporate your decisions into a clear parenting plan can save you a lot of time and frustration. To learn more, please call 954-945-7591 and set up a meeting with dedicated Florida child custody attorney Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. today.
Sources:
flcourts.org/content/download/403074/file/905a.pdf
flcourts.org/Resources-Services/Court-Improvement/Family-Courts/Family-Law-Forms?query=&offset=150&view=embed_custom&searchType=form&limit=50&sort=form/number%20asc,%20form/date%20desc&recentOnly=0&activeOnly=0&active_only=0&nonActiveOnly=0&nonactive_only=0&show_scopes=0&hide_search=0&hide_filters=0
