What Is Equal Time-Sharing?
Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers passed a groundbreaking piece of legislation that requires courts to presume that equal time-sharing, or a 50/50 split, is in a child’s best interests. While it is possible to overcome this presumption, the law is considered by many to be a major step towards a fairer custody process.
50/50 Division of Parenting Time
In Florida, child custody is divided into two categories: time-sharing and parental responsibility. The first is a term used to describe physical custody, or how much time a child spends with each parent. Before the passage of the new law, courts presumed only that some form of “continuing” contact with both parents was in a child’s best interests. There were a number of ways that such contact could be reflected in a parenting plan, but not all involved equal time-sharing, or a 50/50 split. Under the new law, judges have been directed to presume that such a division, or an arrangement where both parents spend an equal amount of time with their child, is ideal in the majority of cases. What this looks like, however, won’t be the same for every family, as there are a number of different types of parenting schedules that provide equal time-sharing.
Examples of Equal Time-Sharing Schedules
There are a a few different ways to implement an equal time-sharing schedule, including:
- The alternating weeks schedule, where a child spends seven days with one parent and then seven days with the other parent;
- The 3-4-4-3 schedule, where a child spends three days with one parent, followed by four days with the other parent and then four days the following week with the first parent and three with the second parent; and
- The 2-2-5-5 schedule, where a child spends two days with one parent and two days with the other parent, followed by five days with the first parent and then five days with the other parent.
For help determining what kind of equal time-sharing arrangement will work best for your family, please reach out to our dedicated legal team today. We can help you come up with a plan that best suits both your needs and the needs of your child.
The Advantages of a 50/50 Split
There are a lot of advantages to an equal time-sharing parenting schedule. For instance, it goes a long way towards maintaining and strengthening a close relationship between a child and both parents, who will have an easier time remaining active in the child’s life. It also gives parents a better opportunity to make joint decisions not only about a child’s day-to-day schedule, but also about his or her care, education, and extracurricular activities. Equal time-sharing plans are not, however, right for everyone, which is why it’s so important for divorcing couples to work with an attorney to come up with a plan that is in their family’s best interests.
Call Today for More Information About Your Parental Rights
To learn more about how the new equal time-sharing law could affect your own eventual time-sharing schedule, please call skilled and compassionate Fort Lauderdale child visitation and time-sharing lawyer Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. at 954-945-7591 today.
Sources:
flvoicenews.com/new-desantis-signed-law-presumes-50-50-timesharing-of-a-child-is-best-interest/
floridarevenue.com/childsupport/parenting_time_plans/Pages/default.aspx
