Oshawa Parenting Plan Lawyers
In family law, a parenting plan is a document that is created following a
separation or
divorce, which sets out the logistics of child care, including
custody and access, what is expected from each parent, and how decisions are going to be made.
In some jurisdictions, parenting plans are mandatory and must be filed with the court. In Ontario, parenting plans are not required by law but are still useful to have from the outset so that each parent – and child – has something to refer to in case of a dispute over access or other decision.
As with anything in family law, a parenting plan must be in the child’s best interests. At the same time, the parenting plan must be practical for both parents. A knowledgeable family lawyer can help you negotiate with your ex-spouse in order to reach a mutually satisfactory and workable parenting plan. At
Borden Family Law in Oshawa, our highly knowledgeable
family lawyers can help you through this process and ensure that the best interests of your children are protected as your family moves forward. We have been assisting clients with family law matters for 17 years and have helped thousands of families create effective child-rearing solutions.
Creating a Parenting Plan
A parenting plan should always reflect the interests and needs of your children. Parenting plans can be an effective means of reducing potential conflict between parents by setting out clear expectations and guidelines.
Parenting plans are best when they are created with both parents working together. If you need help finalizing a parenting plan with your ex-spouse,
mediation or collaboration may be helpful.
Things to consider when creating a parenting plan:
- Living arrangements, including whether a child will live primarily with one parent or both, or what happens if one parent moves far away;
- Parenting schedules, including movement of children between homes, and pick up and drop off times, days and locations;
- Vacations, holidays, and special days, including where children will spend summer break and other school holidays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and major holidays;
- Health care, including who will make decisions about dental and medical treatment, vaccinations, and who will provide medical insurance;
- Education, including decisions about schools, attendance at parent-teacher interviews, and who can sign permission slips for trips and other events;
- Extra-curricular activities, including how many the children will participate in, who will pay for them, and how they will be scheduled in accordance with when the children spend time with each parent;
- Religion, including how decisions will be made about religious upbringing;
- Travel, including who will keep the child’s passport, and how consent will be provided to take a child out of the country.
These are only some of the things that separated parents should discuss and should consider including in a parenting plan. An experienced family lawyer can help ensure that a parenting plan includes everything necessary to make a particular arrangement work for a family.
Oshawa Family Lawyers Assisting Clients with Parenting Plans
If you would like to create a parenting plan with your ex-spouse, contact the Oshawa family lawyers at
Borden Family Law. We take the time to understand the particular needs and concerns of each of our clients, help them negotiate with their spouse, either via mediation, collaboration or otherwise, and work to ensure that the final parenting plan created is practical, effective, and protects the interests of the children while respecting the needs of each parent. Call us at
905-576-6090 or contact us
online to get started on your parenting plan today. Ask about our
bundled services.
