Child Custody & Visitation

Hopefully, the parents can work together to decide the best manner in which the child should be raised after the divorce or separation. By working together to make a plan that fits both parents’ lives, parents can avoid a court-imposed and sometimes rigid solution. Ideally, working together at the time of the divorce or separation will allow parents to create a new framework for the active participation by each parent in the care and raising of the child. When you need assistance regarding child custody and family law matters, or in negotiating a child custody agreement at the time of a divorce or separation, you should contact Dayton family law attorney and divorce attorney, Jeremiah Denslow. He has successfully represented many clients facing family law and child custody issues throughout Montgomery County, Greene County, Warren County, Butler County, Clark County, and other surrounding areas.

Child Custody and Residential Parenting

If the parents cannot agree on custody, the family law court must decide what is in the best interest of the child. The courts will decide which parent should have primary custody and control of the child, where the child should live, and when visitation will take place. In most cases, one parent is designated as the residential or custodial parent, and the other parent, the non-residential parent, is granted visitation rights. The child custody court will generally issue a parenting time and visitation schedule that defines the time that each parent will have with the child.

Child Custody and Shared Parenting

The court can also order a shared parenting plan. When shared parenting is adopted, both parents are essentially designated as the residential parent. In shared parenting, both parents are required to make joint decisions in the best interest of the children, and neither of the parents has more rights than the other to make important decisions regarding the children. A benefit of shared parenting is that the parties can be extremely flexible in settling on the parenting time schedule. In some shared parenting cases, the child spends equal time with both parents.

Factors in Deciding Child Custody Issues

The overriding factor the family law court considers when determining allocation of parental rights is the best interest of the child. The court also considers the wishes of the parents, the child’s wishes, the health of both parties and the child, the interaction of the child with siblings, the child’s ties to his home, school, and community, and various other factors. When you need assistance regarding child custody and family law matters, you should contact Dayton family law attorney and divorce attorney, Jeremiah Denslow. He has successfully represented many clients facing family law and child custody issues throughout Montgomery County, Greene County, Warren County, Butler County, Clark County, and other surrounding areas.