Recover Signature Block Joint Custody Agreement Template For Free

Ing to a report from the Washington State Center for Court Research, the most commonly reported balance of parenting time was 50/50 between mother and father, with nearly 21 percent of cases. However, in nearly two-thirds of all the cases, children spent more residential time with their mothers.

One of the most important things you can do when your kids live in another state is to maintain regular, consistent communication with them. Say you plan to talk with your kids on the phone or by FaceTime or Skype three times a week. Don't wait for a convenient time to come along; schedule those calls in advance.

Sole custody is relatively rare in a divorce case in Washington, as the courts generally believe that it is in a child's best interest to remain in contact with both parents after a divorce.

40% of states aim to give fathers 50/50 custody of their children. But nationwide, fathers are not likely to get 50/50 custody. Fathers usually end up with 35% of custody.

Children's best interests: A parent who wants full custody should give clear reasons why joint custody isn't in the child's best interests. For example, if the other parent has substance abuse issues or leaves the children alone at home for lengthy periods, the courts will take that into consideration.

For 50-50 shared arrangements, residential time is divided as equally as possible among both parents. The arrangement can appear in various forms, with the child switching from home to home each week, or other scheduled rotations. But fundamentally, each parent has equal parenting time.

You should also give your child's social activities and commitments priority whenever possible. Some common custody schedules for 5- to 13-year-olds are: An alternating weekends schedule with a midweek evening visit. An alternating weeks schedule where the child alternates weeks with each parent.