What Is In Your Child's Best Interest?
Navigating Emotional Terrain
For many parents, working out child custody rights is the most emotionally fraught aspect of a divorce. Determining a structure of legal and physical custody that serves the best interests of the children is what we strive for, but it's not always an easy process. At DeLacey, Riebel & Shindell, LLP, our San Francisco family law attorneys take care to weigh all the factors that could influence your child's well-being and future. This can include many things, such as:
• School placement
• Any health conditions or needs
• Social and emotional ties to a community
• Any history of abuse or neglect within a family
Even if a court grants full custody to one parent, however, the other parent can still maintain rights to visitation and to make decisions on how the child is raised.
Establishing A Parenting Plan
In California custody negotiations, much rests on what is known as the parenting plan. Completed by the parents outside of the court system, a parenting plan will outline the specifics of how the custody plan is to be carried out. The parenting plan is intended to remove uncertainty and reduce potential conflict, and it can include instructions about how custody is handled regarding:
• Holidays and birthdays
• Transportation between parents
• Babysitting arrangements (i.e., if the other parent needs to be asked first)
• Plans for school vacations
If both parents are able to work together to craft a parenting plan, they can present it to the court, where it is usually adopted as a part of the divorce settlement.
When the well-being of your children is in question, you want to make sure you have the right information and a strong advocate on your side during divorce negotiations. To schedule an appointment with one of our exceptional child custody lawyers at DeLacey, Riebel & Shindell, LLP, call 415-528-7000.
