It is essential that you outline your agreed-upon living arrangements, as well as your commitments regarding access arrangements, holidays, and vacations.
Here’s a list of the must-haves you’ll want to include:
- A basic residential schedule
- A regular visitation schedule
- A projected schedule for parenting time over the holidays
- A projected schedule for parenting time on birthdays
- Visitation transportation arrangements, including backup plans
- Neutral drop-off or access exchange arrangements (if necessary)
- Anticipated changes to your family’s residential access schedule (as your children age)
- Alternatives schedules for school holidays
- How changes to the schedule should be proposed and negotiated in an effort to minimise last-minute schedule changes
- Regular and backup child care arrangements
- Whether the other parent must be considered first when a babysitter is needed (also known as the ‘right to first refusal’)
- How relocation requests will be handled, including how much notice must be given and how relocation disputes will be addressed
- Plans and/or schedules for maintaining ongoing relationships with extended family members
- Agreed guidelines for introducing the children to either parent’s ‘friends’ or dating partners
A Family Dispute Resolutions Practitioner can help you formulate a parenting plan that focuses on the best interest of your children and create a workable blueprint for working together as separated parents. Bayside Mediation helps parents make workable and robust Parenting Plans.
