When you and your child’s other parent both wish to have your child live with you at least part of the time but are unable to agree on terms, you may need the state of New Jersey to step in. When you ask the state to come up with a custody and parenting time schedule for you, you have to create and turnover a proposed Custody and Parenting Time/Visitation Plan.
Per the New Jersey Courts, there are certain key elements your parenting plan should cover. The plan needs to contain personal information for each parent including each parent’s residential address and place of employment. Some of the other things your Custody and Parenting Time/Visitation Plan must address are as follows.
The type of arrangement you prefer
Your parenting plan may dictate that you plan to share legal custody, physical custody or both, or it may give these responsibilities to one parent or the other. If you are requesting a particular type of custody, your plan should outline your reasons for doing so.
Your proposed parenting time and visitation schedule
Be as specific as possible when it comes to outlining your proposed parenting time and visitation schedule in your parenting plan. In addition to outlining general custody terms, consider addressing your plans with regard to holidays, summer and school vacations and so on.
Who has decision-making authority
Dictating who has decision-making authority and when helps both parents know when they need to confer with one another and when they may act alone. This has the potential to prevent many parental conflicts before they arise.
While these are some of the areas your Custody and Parenting Time/Visitation Plan should address, this is not an exhaustive list of all matters you may want to cover therein.