Step-Up Parenting Plans
A child's needs change as they get older, and a step-up parenting plan evolves with them. It eases your child into spending more time with a noncustodial parent they don't know well or haven't recently spent significant time with.
Some states like Ohio and Texas call these arrangements phased-in parenting time.
Parents can negotiate a step-up parenting plan, or one parent can propose the plan to the court. In either case, the judge will only approve the plan as part of the final custody order if it's in the child's best interest.
What is a step-up parenting plan?
A step-up parenting plan adjusts visitation over time. It's a good option for any family who wants to plan ahead and help their child adapt to living in two households. They're most common in cases involving:
- Infants and toddlers
- Parents who were never married to each other
- Estranged parents
- A noncustodial parent with a history of crime, violence or substance abuse
The specifics of the plan depend on the child's age, how familiar they are with the noncustodial parent and the noncustodial parent's behavior.
Noncustodial parents may worry they'll always be stuck with the same share of parenting time. With a step-up parenting plan, they're guaranteed to get more time as they move up each "step" — so long as they meet the outlined requirements.
For example, the noncustodial parent might have to pass random drug tests or attend counseling to move up a step. Most importantly, the child must be comfortable enough to spend more time around the parent. Any attempt by the custodial parent to interfere with this progression without just cause (e.g., protecting the child from harm) violates the court order.
Ultimately, parents are working toward a standard schedule that will stay in place until the child turns 18.
Benefits of a step-up parenting plan
- Eases the child into spending time with the noncustodial parent so it's not as stressful
- Gives the noncustodial parent and the child time to develop a healthy relationship
- Ensures the noncustodial parent is fit to care for the child
- Increases the likelihood of equal shared parenting as parents learn to cooperate
- Eliminates the need to return to court to modify the order as the child ages
One calendar contains all your step-up schedules
In the Custody X Change app, you make a separate parenting time schedule for each step in your step-up plan. The schedules should all be on the same calendar, and the whole calendar is pulled into your parenting plan. The app automatically translates your visual schedules to proper legal language in your parenting plan.
The app gives you a calendar with a name like Calendar 1. If you want, you can rename it to something like Step-Up Plan to remind yourself that all your step-up schedules should go on this calendar. Rename it in "manage calendars."
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Create your step-up parenting time schedules
To get an idea of how to structure your plan, explore the sample step-up parenting plan plan below made with the Custody X Change app. We'll walk you through how to create your own with our online parenting plan template.
Often, courts let you use any format for your parenting plan. Even if yours requires you to use their template, they typically allow parents to attach another plan with additional information. This can be helpful if your court's template doesn't work well for stepping up.
Custody X Change has all the tools you'll need to build a step-up plan. Start by creating a regular parenting plan. Then you'll create a parenting time schedule for each step of your plan and incorporate custom provisions (rules) to specify the conditions for moving to the next step.
We've created a hypothetical scenario to illustrate how a step-up plan works. The noncustodial parent, Jamie, has not seen their 7-year-old child in two years. The custodial parent, Susan, currently has sole physical custody. Since Jamie hasn't seen their school-age child in two years, it's important they start with short, supervised visits that get longer over time. The end goal is for Jamie and Susan to have joint physical custody, with the child spending every weekend at Jamie's house.
There isn't a minimum or maximum number of schedules/steps you should have. It all depends on what best suits the needs of your child and allows the noncustodial parent sufficient time to prove they're ready to take on a more active parenting role.
In our sample plan, it takes seven steps to get to the standard schedule that will stay in place until the child turns 18 (or until it's modified).
Step One
You'll be creating multiple schedules on a single calendar. Each schedule will correspond to a visitation step in your plan.
(If you haven't yet, research child custody schedules for your child's age group to get ideas.)
Create your first schedule. Start from a template.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
You'll begin by choosing a start date. You don't need to enter an end date because this schedule will end when the next one begins. Customize your schedule and save it. It will automatically be called Schedule 1.
Choose "all to one parent" and assign the time to Susan. "Save" it.
Now you can "add time" for Jamie.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
He gets a weekly visit every Monday afternoon.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Your first schedule is done. Give it a name so you'll remember it corresponds to the first step in increasing Jamie's visitation. Next to Schedule 1, click "options."
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Let's call it Step One. You can also adjust the exact hour of the start time.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Step Two through Seven
Now enter your second schedule.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Again, choose a start date. (Don't worry for now about reasons you might not stick to this date. You can explain your rules in your parenting plan.)
Since Step Two will be similar to "Step One," choose your "existing schedule" as your template.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Choose "add or extend a visit." Give Jamie an extra weekly visit.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Repeat for Step Three.
On your "calendar" tab, you'll see the three schedules you've created so far.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
Keep going to create the rest of the steps in your step-up plan. You can use templates that make sense, like "every weekend" or "every other week."
"Step Four" is a long daytime visit on Saturday.
"Step Five" is a Saturday–Sunday overnight.
"Step Six" is a full weekend: two overnights, Friday–Sunday.
"Step Seven" is equal parenting time: the child lives one week with Susan, then one week with Jamie.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
See how your step-up schedules look in the parenting plan
Click on the "parenting plan" tab in the Custody X Change app. Preview your plan. You'll see the schedules there, automatically described in words.
At Step One, Jamie has a weekly visit.
At Step Two and Three, Jamie gets more weekly visits.
At Step Four and Five, he gets a weekend daytime visit, then a weekend overnight.
At Step Six and Seven, he gets two nights a week, then equal time.
Complete your parenting plan
Basic personal information
The top of your plan should include the parents' and child's full names, your case number (if you have one at this point) and other basic information as shown here.
In Custody X Change, you add this information in your child info and your parenting plan settings.
Type of custody
In Custody X Change, use the "physical custody" and "legal custody" categories of the parenting plan to specify the type of custody you'll have. Spell out what custody arrangement you'll begin with and how it will change as your step-up plan progresses. The app lets you write custom provisions (you'll find this option at the bottom of each provision section).
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
The app automatically numbers each topic (e.g., legal custody) so you can easily navigate the details of your plan. In our sample plan, there's a section that explains how parents will transition to joint physical custody. (The numbering of your sections will differ depending on how many provisions you write.)
Describe the steps
In the "parenting plan" area of the Custody X Change app, choose a category to create custom provisions related to your step-up visitation. The "changes to parenting time" category is a good place for this.
Start by writing a custom provision with your general expectations and guidelines (if any) that will apply across all steps. For example: Susan should continue to live in her house with the child, and Jamie should live no more than 20 miles away and comply with his court-ordered rehab. After one month of both parents fulfilling their parenting time obligations under each step, they will progress to the next step. You can call this provision Step-Up Plan Progression.
Then you can add a custom provision for each step. Name the schedule you'll follow, and specific conditions under which the parents may proceed to the next step. Say clearly what would amount to failure to meet those conditions. Explain how you'll adjust the start date for the next step.
In this example, Jamie must attend a parenting class and counseling to get more parenting time.
Depending on your circumstances, the next steps may have fewer requirements.
In our sample plan, the final step has no more specific conditions and instead refers back to the Step-Up Plan Progression.
Other provisions
Add as many other provisions to your plan as you'd like. Generally, the more you decide on ahead of time, the less confusion and conflict you'll face later.
Common provisions step-up parenting plans include:
- Exchanges
- Supervised visitation
- Changes to parenting time
- Communication
- Child rearing
- Counseling
- Alcohol, tobacco and drugs
Supervised visits are common in step-up plans since it might be unsafe or uncomfortable for the child to be alone with the noncustodial parent at first. This arrangement also helps the custodial parent keep track of the child's location during visits.
A supervised visit takes place with a third party present; sometimes the court requires these visits to occur in dedicated places called supervised visitation facilities.
You can agree in advance when visits will no longer require supervision.
One way to do this is to specify that, for example, Steps 1–3 will be supervised, and Steps 4 onward will be unsupervised.
Or you can devote a section of your parenting plan to describe requirements for ending supervision, e.g., "For [specified period of time], the noncustodial parent must show up for all scheduled supervised visits (unless reasonable notice is given to the custodial parent and the supervisor) and follow the supervisor's rules."
Then, include language like: "Should the noncustodial parent successfully fulfill the requirements outlined in [Section #], visits from [Date] onward will be unsupervised."
Signatures
To complete your plan, each parent should sign it to confirm they agree to the terms. In Custody X Change, go to the "parenting plan" tab, click "signatures," then check off the types of signatures you'll need (parents, parent initials on each page, lawyers, notary). After you print, you can sign with a pen.
The easiest way to make a step-up parenting plan
Step-up parenting plans are complex, and the parenting plan and schedule that works for your child as an infant won't suit them as a teenager. Custody X Change provides you with structure — but also flexibility — so you get a plan that meets your family's needs for years to come.
It offers popular provisions to choose from and lets you add in custom provisions. Plus, you can save your plan as a Word document to make all the tweaks you want: formatting, organization, etc.
You can customize this to fit your situation with Custody X Change.
The Custody X Change app can also help you manage your step-up parenting arrangement:
- Keep a journal to note what happens during your visits and show you've done what's required to move on to the next step.
- Track your actual parenting time to ensure you get the time you've earned with your child or to show the other parent is neglecting their time.
- Document conversations with the other parent to show when they're noncompliant.
Use the Custody X Change app's versatility to your advantage.