Parenting plans are an essential aspect of any divorce or separation case involving minor children. These agreements determine each parent’s rights, abilities, and responsibilities regarding the care and support of their child. Even when parents are willing to work together to craft these plans, it can be incredibly complicated. The support of a Springfield child custody attorney can make these negotiations go more smoothly and adhere to legal requirements.
It is typically beneficial for an entire family for parents to work on a parenting plan together. You know your family, your schedules, and your children’s needs the most. This knowledge can make your parenting plan much more effective and useful for your family than if the judge creates it. While a judge will always hold a child’s interests as a priority, they may not know enough about your family’s specific situation to make a beneficial plan.
Knowing what is required to be in a parenting plan in Springfield can help you and your co-parent begin negotiating important aspects of your family’s parenting plan.
What Must Be Included in a Parenting Plan in Missouri
Parents can create a parenting plan together or separately before submitting the one or two proposed plans to the court. These plans must be in the child’s interests. The court will review the submitted parenting plans and may approve a plan, suggest amendments, or request parties to negotiate to resolve differences between their parenting plans.
There are several required aspects in a Missouri parenting plan, covering the physical custody, legal custody, and financial care of a child.
Physical custody refers to where a child lives and their primary residence. A parenting plan should include a written schedule determining custody, visitation, and parenting time each child spends with each parent, covering the following:
- Where a child will be or how custody will be arranged during major holidays, on school holidays and breaks, on their birthday, and on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
- Daily schedules on weekdays and weekends.
- Daily schedules for school holidays and breaks.
- The time and location for transferring children from one home to the other.
- A plan for transportation responsibilities.
- Plans and times for phone access.
- Plans for how to inform the other parent of temporary variations to the schedule.
- Limitations on access certain parties have to a child and why.
Legal custody refers to the ability of each parent to make important legal and other decisions for their child. Legal custody should be addressed in a parenting plan in specific issues like:
- Decisions for a child’s education and how information from school will be communicated between parents.
- Selecting healthcare providers for medical and dental care.
- How parents will communicate a child’s medical conditions.
- A plan for communicating and managing emergency medical care situations.
- The child’s extracurriculars and how parents will determine what a child participates in.
- How the child’s extracurriculars will affect the custody time of each parent.
- Selecting and working with childcare providers.
- General communication procedures between parents to make important decisions.
- Dispute resolution methods when parents do not agree on an interpretation of the plan.
- If the plan suggests that only one parent has legal rights to make decisions, an explanation as to why that is requested.
A parenting plan should also cover financial concerns and how parents plan to pay expenses such as child care, education, and extraordinary costs. The parenting plan will address specifics like:
- A suggested amount of child support.
- Which parent will maintain or begin providing health insurance for the child.
- How healthcare expenses not paid by insurance will be paid by parents.
- The payment of educational expenses, extraordinary expenses, childcare costs, and transportation costs when these expenses apply.
A parenting plan can also benefit from including other information, such as specific circumstances that trigger the modification of a parenting plan or other guidelines unique to your family’s needs.
FAQs
Q: What Is a Parenting Plan in Missouri?
A: A parenting plan in Missouri is a written agreement between co-parents that determines the specifics of physical and legal custodial arrangements of their children. It ensures both parents know their specific responsibilities and that the day-to-day life of the family runs as smoothly as possible. These plans should cover some of the following topics:
- Where a child lives.
- The decisions parents can make for their children.
- Transportation between homes.
- Child support.
- Childcare costs.
Q: What Is an Example of a Good Parenting Plan?
A: An example of a good parenting plan is one that addresses a child’s needs and supports their interests by focusing on the strengths of each parent. Unless it is impractical or not in the child’s interests, parents should work to maximize the amount of time each parent gets to spend with their child while minimizing the stress on their child.
There are several different types of schedules that parents can use to plan their parenting plan and find what meets their family’s needs the most.
Q: What Is the 50-50 Parenting Plan in Missouri?
A: There is not one single 50-50 custody parenting plan in Missouri, and there are several potential arrangements of a split between households to give a child equal time with each parent. The unique circumstances of a family will determine what schedule is right for a child and provide as close to equal time between households as possible. Working with an attorney can help you review the benefits and drawbacks of different 50-50 schedules.
Q: What Is the New Law for Child Custody in Missouri?
A: As of mid-2023, the new law for child custody in Missouri contains a rebuttable legal presumption that equal or near-equal parenting time is in the child’s interests. Prior to this change, most family courts preferred 50-50 custody as in the child’s interests, but it was a preference and not a legal presumption.
However, courts do not always assign 50-50 custody. The presumption could be rebuttable if parents have agreed on a custody arrangement or if there is evidence that a 50-50 arrangement is not in the child’s interests.
Creating a Useful Parenting Plan in Springfield, MO
A lot of detailed work has to go into creating a parenting plan, making it fit your schedule, ensuring it meets your child’s needs and interests, and having it approved by the court. Having an experienced attorney by your side can make it much easier to create solutions to disagreements you and your co-parent have and keep your children’s interests as the priority. Contact Stange Law Firm today.
