What is a Child Visitation Agreement? 

The goal of a child visitation agreement is to create a shared schedule between you and your child’s custodial parent. This will be difficult to hear, but the child visitation agreement does not revolve around you. Nor does the agreement entirely revolve around the custodial parent. The agreement prioritizes the best interests of your child, which factor in your child’s age, their well-being, each parent’s work history and current employment, the residence of each parent, and each parent’s daily schedules. If your child is considered old enough by the court, then the child will be able to select which days they’d like to spend time with you. Each parent’s visitation rights, duties, and responsibilities to their child will be outlined in the agreement. In the event that both parents cannot reach a mutual agreement, then the court will intervene. The parent with sole custody of the child is usually given the privilege of creating the visitation schedule, but it must be submitted to the court and approved by a judge. Once the judge approves the schedule, the agreement becomes a court order. Creating a child visitation agreement works best when both parents can peacefully come to an agreement because then it is a painless process for everyone involved. 

What is a Violation of a Child Visitation Agreement?

The two types of visitation are unsupervised visitations and supervised visitations. Unsupervised visitation is when the non-custodial parent can spend their scheduled time with their child without third-party supervision. In contrast, supervised visitations are reserved for parents who have a severe mental illness, a history of violence, substance abuse issues, or a track-record of neglect. For supervised visitations, a judge will specify the time and duration of the non-custodial parent’s visit. A judge will also designate the neutral third-party supervisor who will be monitoring the supervised visit. If either parent violates the visitation agreement, serious consequences will be taken against them. Parents who violate the visitation agreement will eventually lose their visitation rights and may even be subjected to criminal charges. Schedule violations occur when the non-custodial parent keeps their child for a longer amount of time than permitted, or when the custodial parent denies the other parent their right to visit the child. Contact an attorney immediately if there are visitation violations. 

Child custody battles are heart-wrenching, but it’s important to not entirely center yourself. Your child’s happiness and well-being need to be front and center. If you’re in need of a child visitation rights attorney, contact The Ault Firm today. 

What the statistics say about a father’s time with their children:

The new study by Custody X Change found that on average in any red republican state 32.1 percent of parenting time. Utah is even lower, with divorced fathers in the Beehive state getting an average of 26.2 percent of custody time. With red democratic states getting on average 36.6 percent custody time and swing states giving fathers 40.2 percent these numbers are a call for concern.

In fact, the Utah average of custody time is significantly lower than the average across the United States of 35 percent and almost half of that of surrounding states such as Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado who give up to fifty percent.

Custody schedules are detailed and complex, which makes them hard to compare,” Coltrin said. “However, it’s easy to see the state-by-state differences once you have a percentage for every state. … States that don’t currently award equal custody may increase time for dads once they see what’s happening across the country.” Custody X Change president Ben Coltrin said.

He also stated the reason for the research was to” affect the dialog taking place as states consider changing custody laws,”.

The worrying fact is that while custody rates are lower than that of the national average divorce rates are higher. In the United States, 3.1 out of a thousand marriages end in divorce whereas in Utah this is higher st 3.6 out of 1000. To add to this a recent bill that was passed took away the rights of the father especially in split-custody cases. The bill made it so that the parent with the more amount of time with the child was in charge of making decisions about the home residence of the child and where the child would go to school.

Call a Salt Lake City Child custody lawyer today:

Making the decision to divorce and separate from someone that was at one point in your mind the person that you will grow old with is a very difficult experience and decision for anybody and there are so many hurdles and rules that you need to be aware off during the process, especially when children are involved. If the trials and tribulations of this are something you are struggling with then a child custody attorney in Salt Lake City is here to help get you your rights. A divorce lawyer will help by understanding your needs and the emotional turmoil you are facing making sure you get the EDT outcome for you. For support and guidance from a child custody lawyer in Salt Lake City call our offices at 801-539-9000.

Schedule Your Holiday Visitation ASAP

Visitation or parenting time is the time parents spend with their children following a divorce. The parenting plan must include how much time each parent will spend with the children, including the holidays and other special occasions or events throughout the year. The main purpose of parenting plans is to protect your interests and the interests of your children as much as you can. Your Salt Lake City child visitation attorney can help you with creating a good visitation schedule. It will pay off in the long run.

Why a Parenting Plan?

It allows each parent to enjoy the maximum participation in their kids’ lives as well as meet their needs as long as there is no abuse or neglect. The goal is equal parenting time. Although in most cases, equal parenting time may not be possible, a practical arrangement between parents is almost always possible. It is important parents prevent their visitation goals to prevent the common legal problems many divorcees tend to face these days. This is particularly true for holiday parenting time, there shouldn’t be any doubts or questions about where the children will spend the holidays.

Requirements

Courts generally require a couple of things listed in the parenting plan. The parenting plan includes the holidays as well as other school breaks. Some parents may choose to split holiday visitation time while others prefer to pick up the children midday during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

A Parenting Plan That Works

A well-designed parenting plan is crucial to get you through the holidays without having major arguments with your former spouse. Also, your children will look forward to the many activities you have planned out for them. There is not a one size fits all parenting solution. Your parenting plan is as unique as your family and the circumstances surrounding your divorce case. Consult an experienced Salt Lake City child visitation attorney to help you figure out your holiday visitation schedule.

Essential elements to include in your plan

• A clear schedule that will include plans for the holidays and other special events throughout the year.
• Outline your former spouse’s responsibilities and your responsibilities.
• Include financial obligations.
• Implement a good system to share information.
• Leave some room for improvement when needed.

The most important thing is to focus on parenting your children these holidays rather than arguing with your ex. If things get tough, we are here to answer any questions you may have.