A Sole Custody Agreement and Child Custody Schedule

custodyx | May 13, 2010 |

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When parents divorce or separate they can choose to make a sole or joint custody agreement and schedule. Determining which type of agreement is an important first step in making it because the type of agreement will influence all of the later decisions. Here is some information about a sole custody agreement and schedule and some reasons why a parent would choose it.

To begin with there are two divisions of custody. Physical custody is the actual time that the children spend living with each parent. Legal custody is the parents' right to make decisions for the children. Both of these need to be specified in the custody agreement. Sole custody can refer to physical and legal custody. When people reference a sole custody agreement they generally mean that a parent has both sole legal and physical custody, although someone can have sole physical custody with joint legal custody.

Sole physical custody means that the child spends the majority of time living with one parent and has visitation with the other parent. When a parent is granted sole custody, a custody schedule must be made that shows when the child will visit the other parent. Some common sole custody schedules include: visitation to the other parent every weekend, visitation on alternating weekends, visitation on alternating weekends with a mid-week visit, several evening or overnight visits through the week, etc.

Sole legal custody means that one parent is given all of the responsibility to make decisions for the child. This includes decisions about education, religion, medical care, child care, extra activities, etc. It is common for parents to adopt a joint legal custody arrangement even when one parent has sole physical custody.

Sole custody agreements are useful when a child needs stability and consistency. Because the child lives primarily in one home, the child doesn't have to deal with the stress of constantly moving and adjusting. This can help children do better in school and helps them have a social base. Basically, a child can do very well with a sole custody arrangement.

When parents are trying to decide what type of custody agreement and schedule to set up, they need to focus on what is best for the child. Sometimes a sole arrangement is the best option, and sometimes it is harmful to the child. In order to make the best possible agreement, the mother and father really need to explore their options and find out what the child needs. They can then adapt the schedule to help the child.