Child Visitation Rights

Child custody is a term that is used to describe the legal relationship between a parent and child. It is a very important issue that all who are going through a divorce or custody case must discuss. The outcome of the case and how the issue is handled can have a severe effect on the emotional health and wellbeing of your children. Not all types of custody are appropriate for all situations. Child visitation rights are important for those co-parents who are not awarded full custody of their child.

The different types of child custody

There are a number of different types of child custody that can be awarded to co-parents. It is important that you first understand that there are two different types of child custody that must be explained in detail, legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody refers to the important decision-making responsibilities for the child. These important decisions can include those regarding health care, education, religion, and so on. Legal custody can be awarded to a single co-parent as sole legal custody or to both co-parents as joint legal custody. Physical custody refers to the residence and caretaking responsibilities for the child. Physical custody can also be awarded to a single co-parent as sole physical custody or to both co-parents are joint physical custody.

As you might have guessed, the two most common types of custody that is awarded are sole custody and physical custody. These two types of custody can be applied to legal and physical custody separately. This means that sole legal custody can be awarded to one co-parent while at the same time joint physical custody may be awarded to both co-parents. Any combination of the two types of custody is possible. One of the most common combinations of the two types of custody is sole legal custody and joint physical custody. This is because it is often seen as being in the best interest of the child if both co-parents spend a significant amount of time with their child. This combination is often paired with child visitation rights for the co-parent who is not awarded legal custody. If the situation is appropriate and both co-parents are able and willing to parent their child together, joint physical custody and joint legal custody may be awarded.

Child visitation rights

Your child custody case may not always go as you had planned. Custody is awarded based on what is in the best interest of the child, and sometimes joint custody is not always in the best interest of the child. If you or your co-parent were not awarded with physical custody of your child it is most likely that you will instead be awarded with child visitation rights. The concept is simple, child visitation rights are typically given to the co-parent who does not have physical custody of the child in order to give the co-parent and the child frequent and meaningful time with one another. Child visitation rights allow for predetermined visitation schedules with the non-custodial co-parent. These schedules could include child visitation rights for every other weekend, every other holiday, a few days a week, and many other possibilities for visitation with the child. Child visitation rights are essential for non-custodial co-parent for building a strong and lasting relationship with their child.

The OurFamilyWizard website® understands child visitation rights

Effectively managing and implementing your child visitation rights is extremely important in order to build a strong and lasting relationship with your child. The OurFamilyWizard website® is dedicated to providing co-parents with the tools and resources they need to easily implement and manage their child visitation rights. For more information on how the OurFamilyWizard website® can help with implementing and managing your child visitation rights, please visit the Child Custody and Divorced Parenting page.