Getting the Best Child Custody Order
You'll get a child custody order after a judge makes a decision at trial or approves your parenting plan agreement.
A parenting plan that is made into a custody order is recognized by the court and the state. A parent who disobeys a custody order can be held in contempt of court. Parenting plans that are not filed with and approved by the court are generally not legally enforceable.
How do I get the custody order I want?
Submit the parenting plan you want to the court so the judge can see your ideal parenting arrangement.
If you and the other parent agree on the plan, the court will approve it so long as its terms are in the child's best interests. Reaching an agreement is recommended since parents know their children better than the court, and parents are more likely to follow agreements since they have a say in the final terms.
If you and the other parent can't agree, the judge will determine your custody order. You will need to prepare a parenting plan proposal and explain to the judge how it benefits your child. If the court finds that your plan is good for your child, the judge will approve your plan as the custody order.
In either situation, Custody X Change can help you:
- Negotiate a parenting plan with the other parent
- Work with your lawyer to come up with a plan you like
- Prepare sample plans for mediation
- Make a parenting plan to present in court
How do I make the parenting plan that becomes my custody order?
You can write your own parenting plan (on your own or with the other parent) or work with a lawyer or legal professional to create one.
You parenting plan should have:
- A parenting time schedule
- Information about the care of your child
- Provisions for how you and the other parent will make the plan work
- Any additional information you want to include
Creating your plan with Custody X Change allows you to:
- Make a parenting time schedule with holidays, vacation time and special events
- Add important provisions and stipulations to your agreement
- Calculate your visitation timeshare
- Print documents including a custody calendar, parenting time report and parenting plan
- Export all of the documents to Word, PDF and Excel
- Sync your custody calendar to your iPhone, Android, Outlook, Google Calendar, etc.
What happens if the custody order isn't followed?
If a parent violates the custody order, the other parent can file a motion for contempt of court.
When a motion for contempt of court is filed, you will return to court and the parent who filed must show the judge how the order was disobeyed.
If the judge finds that the custody order has been violated, they will determine the penalty. The parent who disobeys the order might have to pay a fine or face another penalty to make up for the damages. For example, if the other parent denies visitation, a judge can order the parent to give you more visitation to make up for the lost time.
Custody X Change has actual parenting time tracking (more below) and journaling features that can help you record custody order violations. You can print the documents to show as evidence to prove order disobedience.
How do I change the custody order?
Changing your custody order is called making a child custody modification.
For small changes, you should talk to the other parent. For example, if you need to pick up your child 30 minutes later, you should try to work it out yourselves.
For big changes, you should also approach the other parent. If you and the other parent agree on the changes, you can make a new parenting plan and file it with the court.
When the other parent doesn't agree to your changes, you can file a motion to change the order. In court, you will need to prove how circumstances changed and that your proposed changes are in the best interest of the child.
Custody X Change can help you gather evidence for your custody modification and create a new parenting plan to show in court.
Do I need to track my parenting time once the order is in place?
After you have your custody order, you may want to track your parenting time to make sure that the order is being followed. You can use Custody X Change to track your time and see the difference between scheduled parenting time and actual time.
It's also helpful to keep a custody and visitation journal where you write notes about what happens during your parenting time. This can help you keep track of your custody situation, and give you evidence should you need to make a custody modification.
The easiest way to make a parenting plan
Creating a parenting plan on your own can feel overwhelming. You have to address all possible situations, while using airtight legal language.
Use technology to take the guesswork out of the equation. The Custody X Change app walks you through each step of creating a plan.
You can customize this with Custody X Change.
The result will be a professional document that demonstrates your competence as a parent and secures your child's future.
Try this with Custody X Change.
The easiest and most reliable way to make a parenting plan is with Custody X Change.