Child Visitation Schedules

Child visitation schedules are court ordered documents that detail how physical custody of children will be shared by divorced parents. Once parents get divorced, the court has the final say as to who will receive legal and physical custody of the children from the marriage. The family court's decision will be based on the best interest of the children involved, the testimony of the parents, testimony of other family members and friends, as well as testimony from the children themselves. In some divorce cases the court will grant sole custody to only one of the two parents where in other circumstances the court will award child custody rights to both parents. Child visitation schedules will not be needed in cases where the judge awards sole custody because the parent that is not awarded custody will not be allowed any visitation rights.

Creating Child Custody Schedules

Creating child custody schedules only occurs when the family court that tried the case awards joint custody of the child to both parents. Joint custody includes legal and physical custody of the child. Legal custody involves the important decisions that need to be made on a daily basis regarding the child's life while physical custody involves who the child will live with once the couple's divorce becomes final. The first way a child custody schedule can be created is by the two parents themselves. If the couple can mutually come to an agreement regarding the shared custody of the children then they can create their own schedule. Their schedule must be approved by the family court though. If the parents are so hostile towards each other then the court will arrange strict schedules for child custody because seeing the parents together could be detrimental to the children involved. In most child custody cases the schedules are controlled by one parent and the other parent has no control over the schedule.

Benefits of Child Visitation Schedules

Child visitation schedules can be beneficial for not only the parents of the children but also the children themselves. For the parents, child visitation schedules can benefit both parents quite nicely. In a joint custody case both parents are legally allowed to visit their children or have their children live with them for a specified period of time. Child visitation schedules can also benefit the children involved in these cases. As much as child custody cases can be emotionally draining for young children they can also benefit the children and their family life. Child visitation schedules are usually arranged by the court in joint custody cases to allow for fair visitation rights for both parents. This helps the child become adjusted to their new life and creates a stable environment for them to live in when they are at their mother or father's house.

Content of Child Visitation Schedules

A child visitation schedule will normally name one parent as the primary caretaker and the other parent will be named as the one with the visitation rights. Normal child visitation schedules will allow the parent with visitation rights to have physical custody of the child every other weekend, some weekdays, and specified holidays. Some visitation schedules call for a neutral adult to be present during visitation sessions if the non-custodial parent has a history of violent or destructive behavior, so long as it has not been directed at the child.