Family Law: 2 Types of Child Custody Arrangements You Can Choose From After Divorce

The decisions you make when going through a divorce will determine the outcome of the case. If you avoid disagreements with your spouse, you will experience a less complicated process. 

While the division of assets and wealth might be manageable without professional help, child custody arrangements might be hard to negotiate by yourselves. Child custody agreements require legal intervention to determine the most suitable parent to obtain custody, depending on their relationship with the kids. Therefore, it is advisable to seek the guidance of a family lawyer when determining a custody formula. Here are two possible custody arrangements provided in family law.

Sole Custody

One of the arrangements your family lawyer might recommend is a sole custody agreement. In this case, the court will allow one of you to live with the kids if the other partner is unfit to stay with them. The court first evaluates the behaviour of you and your spouse to come to this conclusion. They will find out whether you are a drug addict, abusive, or have been unsupportive to the kids. If the judge finds you guilty of any of these mistakes, you will lose your sole custody pursuit.

You should pursue a sole custody arrangement if your partner's behaviour has been causing direct harm to your children. However, even if the court allows you full custody of the kids, the judge will permit your partner to visit the little ones regularly. They will also permit you to make decisions about your children's upbringing jointly even if you will not be living together.

Physical Custody

If you and your ex-spouse live in the same neighbourhood, your family or divorce lawyer might advise you to settle for a physical custody agreement. In this arrangement, your kids will spend a significant amount of time with both of you. That way, the divorce will not cause much interruption to your kid's lives.

Even so, the court might allow one parent to live with the children most of the time. But the other parent will have the right to visit the kids regularly according to your arrangement. This agreement enables both parents to have quality time with the children. It also ensures continuity of the relationship you have enjoyed with your kids since birth.

It would help if you had a deeper understanding of each child custody agreement so as to settle on the most suitable one. Therefore, it is advisable to seek the guidance of a professional family lawyer to know more about the arrangements and what the law says about them. By doing this, you will choose an arrangement that favours your children without hurting you or your ex-spouse.


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