When Pennsylvanian parents like you end up getting divorced from your partner, you will have to tackle crafting a parenting plan. This plan is crucially important to how your child’s life might look in the future, and will be closely examined by the court. Before submitting a parenting plan, there are several things you should know.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has a list of all the requirements that must be included in a parenting plan. The necessary contents should include your plans for the following areas:
- Healthcare
- Child care
- Religious and educational development
- Transportation
- Parenting time and holiday schedules
- How to handle any changes
This plan will lay the groundwork for how you and your ex-spouse will parent your child as you all move forward after the divorce. You will have to determine essentials, such as deciding which parent will be the primary custodian and what your visitation schedule will look like. You’ll also need to take smaller things into consideration, such as deciding which religion to raise your child with, what their educational future will look like, and how their healthcare will be handled.
Additionally, the plan must include as many failsafes as possible to deal with unexpected situations. This is why a parenting plan needs to include sections for how changes, disputes, or custody order breaches will be handled. Arbitration, mediation, or other methods can be used to solve these differences.
Once you have a working parenting plan that the courts have approved, it’s what will be guiding you for a long time to come. This is why it’s so crucially important to ensure that you’re satisfied with the plan from the start, and why having professional legal aid can make that happen.
For more information, contact Louis Wm. Martini, attorney at law.