Parenting plan
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When parents separate there may be considerable advantage in formally agreeing how they will deal with the children. A parenting plan is a document which sets out the main issues in detail. Typically a parenting plan would include a contact schedule, the agreed positions in respect of contentious issues (i.e. health & safety, education and religion etc.), and specify how the plan would be updated.
Governments have a clear interest in ensuring that disputes between parents do not spill over into the family courts. One way of doing this is through the encouragement of parenting plans. Some family courts now require a plan to be drawn up when there has been a history of avoidable litigation on custody matters.
The Parenting Plan is a leaflet published by the UK's Lord Chancellor's Department and now carried on by the Department for Constitutional Affairs intended to be useful to parents involved in divorce or separation.
See also
External links
- Some Options for Child Custody Parenting Plans (for Children of School Age) (http://divorcesupport.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coloradodivorcemediation.com%2Ffamily%2Fparent_plans.asp) from Colorado Center for Divorce Mediation
- Dr. Stephen Baskerville, ACFC President (http://www.acfc.org/0.htm) (Insightful writings on divorce industry's affects on shared parenting)
- Launch of UK Parenting Plan (http://www.connexions.gov.uk/partnerships/documents/briefing%20on%20parenting%20plan%20and%20leaflets4.doc)
- The Plan itself (http://www.dca.gov.uk/family/leaflets/parentplan-english/default.htm)
- Shared Parenting Information Group (http://www.spig.info/)
- SPIG Parenting Plans (http://www.spig.clara.net/p-plans/p-plans.htm)
- Mary's Plan - Site #1 (http://www.spig.clara.net/p-plans/maryplan.htm)(Example/Sample shared parenting plan from Australia)
- Mary's Plan - Site #2 (http://www.jointparenting.info/)(Example/Sample shared parenting plan from Australia)
- Mediation support in developing a parenting plan or resolving contentious divorce issues (http://www.rockymountainmediation.com)
- Shared Parenting Works (http://sharedparentingworks.org/)