What Does a Joint Custody Plan Involve?

Part of divorcing when you have children involves figuring out child custody. This can be a stressful process depending on you feel about your child or any children involved. If you are given the option of joint custody, you will be expected to provide a plan for raising your children. If you have any questions, try asking an Oklahoma City family lawyer for answers.

Types of Child Custody

There are two main types of child custody; sole custody and joint custody. These can be broken down into two subtypes called physical custody and legal custody.

Sole physical custody means only one parent will raise the child. Joint physical custody means both parents will equally raise the child. The same rules apply for legal custody, except legal custody grants parents the right to make legal decisions for their child. Legal decisions can pertain to the child’s education, religion, and medical care.

Parents with joint physical and legal custody can both take turns raising and making legal decisions for the child. What usually happens with joint physical custody is the court makes a schedule for when each parent will raise the child. Since many divorced parents live separately, they will have to decide when and for how long each of them will raise the child in their home.

This can be difficult to do depending on your schedule and how much time you want with your child. You may have to consider several factors when working with a judge on your custody schedule. A situation like this can become more stressful when your ex-spouse disagrees with your proposed schedule.

In cases where you cannot reach a resolution with your ex-spouse, a judge may have to decide for you. Try contacting an Oklahoma City divorce lawyer to see what options you have.

What Joint Custody Plans Involve

When you are given joint custody over your children, the court will expect you to submit a plan for custody. This child custody plan details on how the child will be raised like:

• Physical living arrangements
• Medical and dental care for the child
• Where the child will attend school
• Visitation rights
• Child support

You can file the plan with your ex-spouse or on your own. As long as you both sign the included affidavit to agree to the terms, your plan should go through. File this plan with your divorce petition or after you filed your initial petition.

What will happen is the judge will assess your plan and decide whether this will work. The court may make changes to your plan to make sure the best interests of the child standard is met. In some cases, your joint custody plan could be rejected.

Family Lawyer in Oklahoma City

Filing a child custody plan can be tedious and often confusing. Consider asking an Oklahoma divorce attorney about what this requires. Feel free to contact the Putnam Law Office today at (405)-849-9149 for a consultation about your case. We can help you with your divorce plan. Mr. Putnam is a dedicated lawyer in Oklahoma City, OK who can help you obtain the child custody you want.