Create your ideal parenting plan with Custody X Change.

Free 30-Day Trial!

This Free 30-Day Trial:

1. Costs nothing & has no
obligation.

2. Can be used for 30 days.

3. Creates the reports,
but can't print or export.

4. Can be upgraded to a
paid version at anytime.

Your Software is Great

"I just want to let you know that your software is great and easy to use. My son’s mom and I don’t agree on much, but we do try to make adjustments to accommodate my son’s many activities. It is great to get my son’s baseball schedule in March, look at my Custody Xchange calendar, and know that what nights in April, May, and June we are going to switch. Thanks again."

Frank Ryan
Meriden, CT

The Judge Adopted my Plan

"It can be tailored made to fit your unique schedule with holidays and vacations, plus it breaks the time share down so you can come up with a true shared parenting schedule. It helped me so much and I was pro se against a family law specialist, the judge adopted my plan that I came up with using custody exchange. Thank you so much it was invaluable."

Stacie Staples
Arroyo Grande, CA

I Recommend it to Other Family Law Practitioners

"I have used the Custody X Software in some complicated custody cases and have found it a very useful tool. Many people are very visual and the ability to lay out custody schedules years in advance has been helpful. I have found the software very easy to use and would highly recommend it to other family law practitioners."

Meredith W. Ditchen
Woodstock, GA
www.ditchenlaw.com

Montana Parenting Plan

Custody X Change can help you create a
parenting plan in Montana.

How to Create Your Parenting Plan in Montana (MT)

Your parenting plan is the most important document in your child custody situation. The parenting plan outlines all of the information about how you and the child's other parent will continue to care for the child after a divorce or separation. It is vital that parents take the time to create a detailed, well-thought out plan that centers around the best interests of their children. Here are some things to consider for parents making a parenting plan in Montana.

What to Include in a Parenting Plan

Your parenting plan should include information about how parents will divide parental responsibility and share time with the children.

Legal custody refers to the parent's rights to make decisions for and about their child. This includes decisions about education, child care, religion, medical and dental care, etc. When the children are older it includes decisions about driving, working part time, extra-curricular activities, school functions, etc.
In sole legal custody, one parent has the right to make decisions about the child.
In joint legal custody the parents share this responsibility. The parents can divide the decisions between them or they can consult each other about all of the issues.
Physical custody refers to how the parents share the time with the children. Parents need to figure out where their children will live during the week, on weekends, during holidays, vacation time, etc.
In sole physical custody, the child lives with one parent and has visitation with the other parent.
In a joint physical custody arrangement, the child spends substantial time living with both parents. The time doesn't have to be exactly split in half in joint physical custody.

So, Your Parenting Plan Needs to Have

The type of legal and physical custody the parents have chosen (parents may have joint legal custody without joint physical custody),
A custody and visitation schedule that shows when the child is with each parent,
A holiday and vacation schedule,
How the parents will make decisions for the child,
Provisions that the parents want to include about parenting, and
Any other information the parents want to include concerning the child custody arrangements.

Your Montana Parenting Plan

Montana law mandates that parents file a parenting plan with the court.
Parents who are able to agree on a plan can file the plan and it will most likely be accepted.
If parents cannot agree, they should both make the parenting plan they want the court to adopt.
The mother and father will both show their plans to the court and the judge will decide about the final plan that is accepted.
Some things the judge will consider when determining what plan to use are: the wishes of the parents, the wishes of the children, the relationship between each parent and the child, the child's relationship with siblings and other people, if there has been any domestic abuse, if either parent has a chemical dependency, the continuity and stability of the care for the child, the developmental needs of the child, and if either parent knowingly failed to pay birth costs or child support and they were able to pay.
Montana law presumes that it is in the child's best interest to have frequent and continuing contact with both parents.
If a parent wants to limit the child's contact with the other parent, he/she should be prepared to explain why that is beneficial to the child.
Some things to include in a Montana parenting plan are: the division of decision making and legal custody, how both parents will continue to have frequent and continuing contact with the child, information about the exchange of the children, a residential schedule, anything else the parent wants to include.
Depending on the county, there may be some specific forms a parent needs to fill out about the plan.

How Custody X Change Can Help

Custody X Change is custody software that helps parents create a parenting plan. The software makes it easy to put in all of the necessary information so that your plan can be accepted by the court. With the software, you can:

Create your custody and visitation schedule by making a repeating cycle of custody, a holiday schedule, and adding in any vacation time and special events.
See the exact timeshare percentage that each parent has with the children when you set up your schedule.
Include information about how legal custody will be divided.
Add extra parenting provisions and stipulations into your plan.
Print professional documents of the entire parenting plan, including a written form of the custody and visitation schedule, a calendar of the custody and visitation schedule, the detailed time-share and overnight percentage report, and the list of provisions the parents have included.
Track actual visitation, keep a journal about visitation, and print a report that shows the difference between scheduled and actual visitation time.
Export all of the documents to Word, PDF, and Excel.
Sync the custody calendar to your Blackberry, iPhone, Palm/PDA, Outlook, Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, Windows Live, etc.

Montana Parents Use Custody X Change To

Make the required parenting plan for Montana and file it with the court.
Look at options for the custody and visitation schedule and make a schedule that gives both parents frequent and continuing contact with the child.
Include provisions about the decision making and legal custody, the exchanges of the children, and anything else that will help.
Ease conflict when working with the other parent to make a plan.
Show multiple example plans at mediation or when meeting with the other parent.
Prepare and present a plan in court and use the documents to show why it is in the child's best interest.
Save money in legal fees by creating the plan on your own or with the other parent.
Determine the right amount of child support using the accurate timeshare percentage calculation.
Write a custody journal and keep notes about visitation and other matters.
Track the actual amount of parenting time to ensure that both parents have frequent and continuing contact.
Easily make changes to the plan as the child grows older and the needs change.
Settle the custody matters so you can enjoy your time with the children.

You can get a free thirty day trial of Custody X Change by entering your name and email at the top of the page. Join the others in Montana who have found the way to make the best parenting plan.

The top ten cities in Montana (by population, US Census Bureau, 2008) are: Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, Bozeman, Butte-Silver Bow, Helena, Kalispell, Havre, Anaconda-Deer Lodge, Miles City.

Additional state parenting plans you might want to consider:

Two related articles (not state-specific) to read: Parenting Plan and Parenting Plan Template.

Navigation: Child Custody » Montana » Montana Parenting Plan