Since family mediators want to help divorced or separated parents create a parenting plan that everyone supports, Custody X Change is a great resource to have on hand. With Custody X Change, mediators can:
- Show visual calendars and other documents to the parents as you discuss various options for the plan,
- Find out the timeshare percentages for various parenting time schedules
- Quickly draft up parenting plans with the terms and conditions of the parents, and
- Give parents the complete documents for their parenting plan.
As you sit down with parents to discuss options for the parenting time schedule and parenting plan, you can use Custody X Change to model different calendars and schedules. This helps the parents see how a schedule will work and assists you as you help them figure out what they want. With the software, you can quickly look at options for the:
- Residential and everyday schedule,
- School break and other vacation schedules,
- Holiday schedule, and
- Special events where the schedule might change.
Once you've looked at each part of the schedule, you can look at the actual calendar (for as many years as you want) to see how the schedule is applied. This helps the parents feel good about the schedule and the time they have with the children.
Along with the visuals of the schedule, you can show the parents some parenting provisions that they may want to include in their plan. This is a good way to help the parents discuss some terms and conditions for raising the child.
When you show the parents various parenting time schedules in Custody X Change, you can also show them the timeshare percentage calculation for each parent. This is useful as you create a schedule because it allows both the mother and father to know exactly how much time they have with the children.
You can make changes to the schedule based on the timeshare percentage, and you can also print a report that shows the exact breakdown of the timeshare percentage between the parents. This helps the parents feel secure in the schedule and it can make it easier for them to come to agreement.
Once the parents have made some decisions about their parenting plan, you can use the software to draft up the plan and let them look at it. This can help the parents see everything that is in the plan and allows them to make any changes before making it official.
You can export the agreement to Excel, Word, and PDF so you can email it to the parents or the mother and father can make any changes they want to the wording of the agreement.
After the draft has been approved by both parents, you can make the final agreement with Custody X Change. You can print all of the documents for the plan and the parents can sign the plan and submit it to court or have it on file.
As you create a parenting plan with Custody X Change, you can print the following documents:
- The parenting time schedule: you can print a calendar (for as many years as you want) that shows the parenting time and you can print a document that has a description of the schedule.
- A timeshare percentage report: this report shows the breakdown of how much time each parent has with the children.
- The parenting provisions: a list of the provisions that you've included in the plan.
- The entire parenting plan with all of the components.
At any time during mediation, you can give parents copies of these documents. This can help reduce misunderstanding and keeps the parents informed. You can also export all of the information to Word, Excel, and PDF so that you can email the parents the plans. Once the parents have reached an agreement, you can easily give both of them a copy of the final plan.