Saturday, June 6, 2009

Joint Child Custody Agreements

By Dianna Nelsun

What is joint child custody? How does it differ from other custody arrangements? Will it work for your situation?

These are just some of the questions parents have about joint custody. Many people have heard the term, but they are unfamiliar with the particulars. Here is some information about joint child custody so you can decide if it is right for your situation.

When people say joint custody they could be talking about joint legal custody or joint physical custody. In legal joint custody, the parents both have the legal authority to make decisions for their child. This includes decisions about where the child will go to school, what religion the child will participate in, the medical care the child gets, and other issues. Parents may choose to have joint legal custody without joint physical custody.

Physical joint custody means that the parents work together to provide physically for the children. This means that both parents spend time with the child and also have a home for the children to live in. The parents usually split the time with the children so each parent has fifty percent of the time with them.

Parents have to communicate with each other regularly in joint custody. There needs to be clear communication about picking up and dropping off the children--because there is a lot of switching back and forth. Parents also need to be very organized because it can be easy to get a joint custody schedule confused. Parents also have the duty to keep the other one informed about important events.

Joint custody could be the solution you are looking for if you want your kids to have time with both parents. This is a way for both the mother and father to be involved in raising their kids after a divorce. If you feel this could be in your child's best interest you should look into developing a joint child custody agreement.

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