Michigan Child Custody
Michigan child custody laws are found in Chapter 552 of the Michigan Revised Statutes. Within these statutes, parents can find the necessary information to make a Michigan parenting plan and Michigan custody agreement. Here is some of the information that Michigan parents should know.
Both parents should have reasonable parenting time with the child. This allows for a lot of flexibility as the parents make their custody and visitation schedules, and it also means that a Michigan custody schedule must be fair to the mother and father. The amount of time the child spends with each parent depends on the child’s needs. Each parent should have enough time with the child to develop and maintain a healthy relationship. A Michigan visitation schedule must include all of these elements. The statute also encourages parents to have joint custody whenever possible.
Chapter 552.501-552.535 is the Friend of the Court Act. This act requires parents who are not able to agree on a custody and visitation schedule to meet with a friend of the court who can help them make fair custody arrangements. It is very similar to mediation and the goal is to help the contested case get resolved before going to court. The court appoints a friend of the court who acts in the child’s best interest and parents should put forth a good faith effort to work with each other and the friend so that the best custody schedule can be determined.
If the parents are still not able to agree on the visitation schedule, they must go to court and let a judge decide about the schedule. Some of the factors that the judge will consider when thinking about the best interest of the child are: the love, affection, and other emotional ties between each parent and the child; the capacity of the each parent to give the child love, affection, and guidance and to continue the education of the child; the ability of each parent to provide food, clothing, medical care, and other needs to the child; the length of time the child has been in a stable environment; the permanence of the existing or proposed custodial home; the moral fitness of the parents; the health of the parents and the child; the child’s home, school, and community; the preference of the child; the willingness of the parents to encourage the child to see the other parent; any history of domestic violence; and any other factor that is relevant to the particular case.
