Types Of Child Custody
There are a number of different types of child custody, and each has its own benefits and disadvantages. Knowing about the different options before you go to court can help you prepare a custody proposal that will be a good fit for you and your family.
Child custody is a serious matter that affects the lives of children and their families. If you are in the process of divorcing or have been involved in a divorce, it’s important to know about the different types of custody.
Let’s see first what the custodial parent definition.
What Is Custodial Parenting?
A custodial parent is a parent who is living with the child and tracking care of the child’s needs. Sole physical custody means the parent is taking care of the minor child’s needs. There are multiple types of child custody.
The contrasting factor with the non-custodial parent. Non-custodial parents take care of the child for a minimum time. Even in some cases, the parents only have visiting rights.
Where a co-parenting definition is the parents sharing their responsibilities while they are not living with each other. They share their child-caring responsibilities. The sole custody vs full custody difference is when they are not splitting the duties. One parent has full custody, and they are canceling the whole idea of meeting the child.
Factors Which You Must Know About Custodial Parent
Here are different types of child custody and factors that you must know about custodial parenting.
1. Sole Custody
Sole custody is the specific type of child custody in which any one parent has sole decision-making authority over the child. This means the parent can decide about education, religion, activities, and healthcare.
However, there are several disadvantages to sole custody. First, it can fracture a child’s relationship with their non-custodial parent.
Moreover, it can lead to a lot of tension at home. The child may feel like their custodial parent is an adversary who has torn them away from their other parent.
Parents often seek sole custody in cases where they are unable to come to an agreement on a joint parenting plan. This includes situations where the parents live in different countries, states, or time zones, and it isn’t possible for them to meet together and decide on a joint parenting plan.
2. Joint Custody
Joint custody is a legal and physical arrangement in which both parents share the responsibility of raising the child. This includes making decisions on issues like healthcare, education, religion, and other life-long decisions.
When determining types of child custody, a judge considers the best interests of the child. They usually award joint custody when both parents are able to work together and put the needs of the child first.
There are many benefits to a joint-custody arrangement. For one, it can reduce the chances of future litigation.
Another advantage of joint custody is that it gives the children more contact with both parents. This can include extended weekends, holidays, school breaks, and midweek visits.
In addition to sharing responsibilities with their children, joint parents are also responsible for child support. This can help a parent pay for expenses while the child is living with them.
3. Shared Custody
Shared types of child custody is an arrangement where the physical rights of the child are shared and equal, typically by both parents. Both parents are responsible for making decisions for the child together, and they spend time with the child in their own homes.
Some families choose this type of custody as it can be flexible and easy to work with. These arrangements can involve midweek visits, extended weekends, longer holidays, school break visits, and more. For multiple children, split custody is often applied.
Often, the parents will lay out a schedule for their children to see them nearly equally. This can be done through a parenting plan and can be included in a final court order.
This arrangement has many benefits, but it can also cause problems as it can lead to one parent being more strict and giving the childless freedom. This can hurt the child’s trust in their parents and lead to more conflict between them.
4. Visitation
Visitation is time spent with a child outside of the home. It can take place in person, by phone, or via video visitation.
A typical visitation schedule in New York for a parent with sole physical custody is every other weekend and one or two visits midweek. In addition, it often includes alternating school holidays and at least one month during the summer.
In cases where the noncustodial parent is not physically present during visitation, a court may order supervised visits. These visits typically take place at a neutral place, with a court-sanctioned third-party supervisor.
Wrapping Up:
Parents also have the option to use the types of child custody, which is support to cover their children’s extracurricular activities, including field trips, after-school sports, and private music lessons. However, this is not always possible, and only under special circumstances will a judge agree.
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