Parenting Plans

Parenting Plans are required to be entered into when parents of one or more children seek a dissolution of marriage or when a Petition to Establish Paternity has been filed.  A Parenting Plan is similar to an instruction manual.  It sets forth:

• Parental Responsibility. How do decisions for each child get made?  If you and the other parent do not agree does someone get the ultimate say on all issues or a particular issue?
• Time sharing. When is each parent entitled to spend time with their child(ren)?  When deciding how time with the child(ren) should be shared, the child’s needs, the distance of the parents to the child’s school, the need for child care, and the child’s extra curricular activities should all be taken into account.  In addition to the general daily schedule the parents have to decide how to share holidays, birthdays, summer and spring break.  If the parents cannot agree on how to share time then a Judge will hear testimony and make the decision for the parents.
• Exchange of children. Who is responsible for picking up and/or dropping off the children to effectuate time sharing?  Will exchanges take place at the children’s school, a public place, a designated safe place, the parents’ homes or someplace else?  Who can pick up and drop off the children?
• Child care providers. Can each parent select their own or does a caretaker have to be approved by both parents?  What about after care or child care programs to enable the parents to work?  Who picks the place?  Who pays for it?
• Extra curricular Activities. Do the parents have to agree on all activities?  Can a parent schedule an activity that will sometimes take place during the other parent’s time sharing?  Who keeps the uniforms?  Who can attend the activity?  Who pays for the activity? Who pays for the equipment and uniforms?
• Whose address should be used for school purposes? Should the child go to public, private or a religious school for their education?  Who will buy school supplies, clothing and pay for school trips and pictures?
• Child Support. Child support is determined by Florida Child Support Guidelines.  The guidelines look at the collective net income of the parties, the cost of the child’s medical insurance, the cost of childcare and who pays for the insurance and childcare and together with the number of overnights each party spends with the child(ren) and determines which party, if any, is required to pay child support to the other parent.  Child support in Florida is the right of the child and cannot simply be waived.

The first step in establishing a healthy co-parenting relationship is to sit down and discuss the issues specific to each child and determine what you already agree on.  Once we have things that are agreeable we work from there to tackle each issue to find a solution that everyone can live with.  By agreeing to mediate the issues and work out a parenting plan amicably you are well on your way to a healthy co-parenting relationship.

If you need a parenting plan, and you and the other parent are willing to mediate to establish a parenting plan that can be approved by the Court and allow you to avoid the emotion and financial costs associated with a trial click on the calendar below to schedule a consult or the date and time you would like to schedule the mediation.

Call:      954-727-6213

Email:   Familylaw501@gmail.com