Managing Child Custody and Visitation During Divorce

If you’re going through a divorce and have children, you and your ex-partner will have to address short-term child custody and visitation arrangements.

Divorce can be stressful, complex, and tedious. Still, you’ve got the responsibility to foster a stable environment for your kids as you go through this process as parents. Together with this job is to make sure that you and your ex-partner set clear expectations from one another.

While you meet with your divorce attorney to talk about your divorce terms, having a short-term custody plan guarantees that you can tackle immediate concerns with your kids.

Before you proceed with hiring a custody attorney for help, here are several things you should know about managing child custody during divorce:

Is a Temporary Child Custody Petition Important?

One of the crucial items you’ll settle during the divorce process is custody terms for the kid. However, though you and your ex-partner negotiate the terms of your divorce, you’ve got to have a temporary custody agreement.

A short-term custody order helps build rules between you and your ex-partner and what expectations they can have from one another.

It can establish what responsibilities they’ve got concerning the kids as they separate. Aside from that, it provides the kids the chance to have structure and stability. These are essential for a growing kid.

You and your ex-partner might have to regularly revisit the existing arrangement around your day-to-day schedules if you do not get a temporary custody order.

For example, you will have to figure out who will pay for what expenses, go up from school, and have the children on particular holidays or weekends.

Guidelines For Setting Up Temporary Child Custody

If you get a temporary child custody order, you can establish rules on what happens in those cases based on what you and your ex-partner will have agreed upon.

Aside from that, you can predetermine visitation schedules as you talk about your temporary custody arrangements. For example, it is possible for you to acquire the main custody if you’re the main caretaker of the children.

Then, your ex-partner will get a visitation schedule where they can visit the kids, take them on a trip, or take them on particular holidays. The specifics of the agreement will vary on the situation, goals, and needs of your family.

Setting a Temporary Custody Order

You will have to start with filing a petition via the family court to set this order. You’ll have to show the need for this temporary arrangement.

You and your ex-partner can work together to file the petition. Aside from that, you can also seek help from a reliable custody lawyer.

These legal experts can help you and your ex-partner create a short-term arrangement before the court sets an official visitation and custody order.

As much as possible, you should file the petition as early as you can. This enables you to benefit from the order for the duration of the divorce process.

You do not have to file for a temporary child custody order if you and your former spouse can agree to an arrangement.