Parenting Plan Must Haves

For those going through family law cases involving minor children, usually there are two big questions; what will timesharing look like, and what is child support going to be?

Before considering child support, it’s important to write out a Parenting Plan. A Parenting Plan is a document that outlines the relationship between the parents, and the minor child(ren). Elements of a Parenting Plan can differ family to family, including specifics about child(ren)’s education, health care, religion, etc.

Who Creates A Parenting Plan?

A Parenting Plan can be developed and agreed to by the parents through mediation to other means. A Parenting Plan created by parents (with or without the help of an attorney) must be presented to the Court, and ratified (approved) by the Judge. Family law cases are often settled by parents in mediation, after all, the people who know your family best is you!

If the parents are unable to agree to a Parenting Plan, or if the Court does not approve the Parenting Plan submitted by the Parents, then a Parenting Plan would be established by the Court. The Court does not know the intricacies of your family dynamic, they determine a Parenting Plan by applying the facts presented to the best interest factors in Fla. Stat. §61.13.

What Are The Minimum Elements Of A Parenting Plan?

At a minimum a Parenting Plan approved by the court must:

1. Describe how the parents will share and be responsible for the daily tasks associated with the upbringing of the child(ren).
2. Include a timesharing schedule that specifies the time the child(ren) will spend with each parent.
3. Designate who will be responsible for health care, including health insurance, dental insurance, and vision (if applicable).
4. School related matters, including the address to be used for school-boundary determination.
5. Dictates Parental Responsibility (shared, ultimate-decision making, sole).
6. Extra-curricular activities and the costs associated with them.
7. Describe the methods and technologies the parents will use to communicate with the child(ren).

Do you and your co-parent need a Parenting Plan? Have you been working on a Parenting Plan, but can’t agree on everything? We can help!