If you are facing a divorce, your children’s ongoing health, happiness, and well-being are probably one of your top priorities. Further, obtaining child custody arrangements that support your children’s unique needs and that work for you as a family is paramount. Your child custody arrangements are critical to you and your children’s future. If you live or work on Fort Wayne’s north side, working with an experienced child custody attorney in the 46853 neighborhood is in the best interest of you and your children.
Custody in the State of Indiana is divided into two distinct categories – one of which is legal custody. Legal custody refers to a parent’s rights and responsibilities to make important decisions on behalf of their children. These decisions can include matters related to the following:
Except under extreme circumstances, courts generally find that it is most appropriate for both parents to share legal custody. If you believe that the other parent should not have legal custody, you’ll need to work with skilled local family law lawyers, like our child custody attorneys in the 46853 area, to prove your claim to the court.
The other category of custody is physical custody, and this refers to the children’s living arrangements. Generally, it is considered to be in the child’s best interest for parents to share physical custody. Typically, however, one parent will become the primary custodial parent (with whom the children primarily live), and the other parent will have a visitation or parenting time schedule. The courts believe that it is in the best interest of nearly all children to spend ample time with both parents (except under extreme circumstances), so parents generally share physical custody.
Your custody arrangement will be delineated in your Indiana parenting plan. This will outline exactly when you will have the children and when they will be with their other parent. It will spell out where and when pick-ups and dropoffs will occur and provide you with a snapshot of whom the children will be with at any given time. Additionally, your parenting plan will advise you regarding who the children will be with on their own birthdays, on your and your spouse’s birthdays, and on various holidays throughout the year.
The fact is that the custody arrangements that you agree to at the time of your divorce may work perfectly at that time, but your children’s custody needs are not static – and you may need to address modifications as time goes by. As your children require less supervision and more transportation services, for example, a custody modification may be in order. An experienced child custody attorney serving the 46853 area can help your family determine when modifications are necessary and assist in pursuing those changes.
Your child custody arrangements are naturally a primary concern of yours. When you need the services of dedicated child custody attorneys in the 46853 neighborhood, turn to The Bellinger Law Office. We have been proudly serving Northern Indiana for decades, and our team has extensive experience helping clients like you obtain favorable custody and parenting time arrangements. Your rights are important, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.