Saskatoon Parenting Arrangements Lawyers Helping Parents Through Parenting Arrangements Issues
If you are ready to divorce your spouse, one of the biggest issues on your mind is likely what will happen to your children. Naturally, most parents want to keep their children with them as much as possible, as they believe they will raise them the best. But what happens when both parents think this way and want to be the sole decision-making parent? That’s when you need to hire parenting arrangements lawyers in Saskatoon.
At Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation, we have made it easy for countless clients to navigate parenting arrangements issues with former spouses, as we always focus on finding ways to come to an agreement out of court. So, if you’re hoping to come up with a parenting arrangement that works for you, your children, and their other parent, come to our Saskatoon law firm for legal guidance.
What Types of Parenting Arrangements Can You Pursue?
As you work on finding a parenting arrangement that works best for your family, you should get to know the options available to you in Canada. These are the main types of parenting arrangements you can choose to pursue:
- Sole decision-making, in which one parent makes all decisions for the child
- Joint decision-making, where both parents can legally make decisions regarding the child’s education, healthcare, and other important subjects
- Joint physical residency, where both parents spend 40% or more of their time with the child
- Split Residency, in which one parent has one or more of the children living with them, and the other child or children live with the other parent
In general, judges want to keep the children together, so split parenting arrangements are rare unless an older child or teen chooses to live with the other parent. In addition, most judges in family court want to ensure both parents are involved in the lives of the children. This is why they favor joint parenting arrangements unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
If you are hoping for joint decision-making and shared parenting time, we would be happy to help you get this result. You and the other parent will need to work out a parenting plan that works for both of you, and we can help with this.
If you feel that shared decision-making would not be in the best interests of your children, and you want to be the primary decision-making parent, we can assist you with this process, as well. You can let us know what your goal is for your parenting arrangements case during your initial consultation.
What Factors Are Considered in a Parenting Arrangement Case?
Our law firm is here to help with your parenting arrangements plans, but one detail you should know going into your case is that judges try to rule according to the child’s best interests. As such, your goal should be to show that your proposed parenting arrangement is what is best for the child, whether you want sole or joint decision-making.
More specifically, keep in mind that several details will factor into your parenting arrangement proceeding. First, the judge will take into consideration who the primary caregiver was before the divorce, and what the parent/child relationship is like. It’s important to avoid disrupting the child’s life as much as possible, so if maintaining the status quo parenting arrangement would allow the child to remain in the same home and keep going to the same school or activities, this will factor into the final decision.
The court will typically also look at the parenting abilities of each parent. If one parent does not have the time or ability to care for the child and does not have a support system in place for backup care, that parent is unlikely to be given unsupervised parenting time for the child. Of course, if one parent is neglectful, abusive, or not physically or emotionally well enough to care for a child, they will likely become the non-decision-making parent in the parenting arrangement plan.
Additionally, if a child is old enough to clearly express their wishes of which parent they want to live with, a judge will take this into consideration before assigning primary decision-making responsibilities. If you have questions about your case, talk to our parenting arrangement lawyers in Saskatoon today.
What Is Parenting Arrangement?
When one parent gets to live with the child, the other parent will likely get parenting arrangement rights. This means they have a right to see the child, either occasionally or on a regular basis, according to a formal parenting arrangement agreement. For example, a parent who lives out of the country might request parenting arrangement rights to see the child when they visit a few times a year, while a parent who lives nearby might agree to a regular parenting arrangement schedule in which they see the child every weekend.
If a child might be afraid or unsafe in the unsupervised care of one parent, that parent may be granted a supervised parenting arrangement, in which they can only see the child when an approved person is present. So, if you want your child to have a relationship with the other parent, but you are unsure if the parent can care for the child, your parenting arrangement lawyer can ask for a supervised parenting arrangement.
In some cases, grandparents can get parenting arrangement rights, as well. Talk to our trusted legal advisors for family cases in Saskatoon to find out what kind of evidence you will need to show and which paperwork to fill out to get a finalized parenting arrangement order in Saskatoon.
Do You Need To Hire parenting arrangement Lawyers?
If you have questions about your options for parenting arrangements or are eager to get your parenting schedule approved, talk to a skilled family law lawyer in Saskatoon today. At Panko Collaborative Law & Mediation, we have helped several families determine the parenting arrangement that works best for them, all without having to argue in court.
So, if your goal is to spend more time with your children and less time in the courtroom, come to our law office as soon as possible. Call us today at 306-518-8107 to set up your initial consultation with caring parenting arrangement lawyers in Saskatoon.