Are you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse trying to create a parenting plan that the court will approve? If so, do you know what it must contain? Your divorce attorney can help in answering that question, but we also want to provide you with some of that information here.
A parenting plan in Florida is required to describe:
— Who is responsible for health care.
— Who is responsible for school-related matters, such as registration and other activities.
— How each parent will share and be responsible for the upbringing of the child. This includes the daily tasks that are required.
— How the parents will communicate with the child. This must include the technologies and methods that will be used, such as email, Skype, phone and more.
— The arrangements that specify when the child will spend time with each parent.
The primary consideration of the court is that the parenting plan is in the best interests of the child. Many factors must be considered by the court, such as if there is any history of domestic violence, the parents’ circumstances and how the child interacts with each parent.
There are dozens of other considerations, too, such as the physical and mental health of the parents, the wishes of the child (to a certain degree) and the geographic locations of each parent.
As you can see, there are many things to consider putting into your parenting plan. This is why an attorney’s advice is so important. You want the court to approve the parenting plan and not have to make many changes to it.
Source: Florida Courts, “Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.995(a), Parenting Plan (10/11),” accessed June 03, 2016