Child Custody Questions

1. How do I prepare for custody court? The best way to prepare for custody court is to have a well thought out parenting plan that you can show the court is in the child's best interest. This is where Custody X Change shines. You can create a top notch parenting plan with documents to show the judge. The documents include the custody and visitation schedule, the time-share percentage, and the entire agreement written out. This can help you as you explain why this arrangement is best for your child.

2. How do I create a custody and visitation schedule? This can be an overwhelming task for any parent, but Custody X Change makes it simple and easy. Your custody and visitation schedule is based on a repeating cycle of custody and visitation. Once you decide what that is you apply it for the whole year. If you have Custody X Change the computer does all of that for you--you just decide what schedule you want. There's no flipping through months of the calendar and counting days. Along with the repeating cycle, you need to have a holiday schedule. Custody X Change gives you a list of all the holidays you want to include. You assign the parents custody and put in the times and length of the holiday. You then add any vacation time you want and put in any special events where the custody changes.

3. How can I get fair time with my child? Whether you're fighting for fair time in court, at mediation or just with your former spouse, it's important to be prepared. Create a custody and visitation schedule to show the time you want with your child. Custody X Change shows you the time-share percentage that each parent has, and that helps because then both parents know exactly how much time they get with the kids.

4. What are some ways to work with the other parent? It can be difficult to work with your former spouse about your custody situation. Custody X Change can help because it makes the whole process a lot more objective and it makes it easier to be flexible. With Custody X Change you can quickly make a custody schedule and then get input from the other parent. It's not a problem at all to make changes in the agreement (because you don't have to redo an entire calendar and erase and rewrite). You can both add in suggestions until you're satisfied with the agreement.

5. What information does my custody agreement contain? Your custody agreement or parenting plan has all of the information about your custody situation. It should have a custody and visitation schedule, a holiday and vacation schedule, the time-share percentage and overnight percentage (this is important because it determines child support), and any provisions the parents want included (for example, you could put in a provision that says the other parent has to notify you if they get the child a passport). Custody X Change lets you put all of these into a document with legal wording or you can export the documents to Word or PDF and make any changes.

6. What is a custody order? The custody order is when the judge makes your custody agreement or parenting plan a legal document. This is the law about your custody case and the parents have to abide by it or they can be held in contempt of court. If you want the child's other parent to be required to do anything it has to be in the custody order (like, if you want to be notified if the other parent moves and get the current address--put that provision in the order). Custody X Change helps you prepare the agreement you want so it turns into the custody order you want.

7. How can I save money in legal fees? Divorced parents can be totally overwhelmed by the high cost of legal fees. Luckily, Custody X Change allows you to save thousands of dollars by doing a lot of your custody case at home. Many people use the software to represent themselves in court or to work with the other parent to avoid attorneys fees. Other people use the software to create some agreement ideas that they then present to their lawyer (and they save themselves some consulting costs by doing the work themselves).