With a divorce in the works, there is the matter of making sure the children are provided for in the years to come. Working with a Child Custody Lawyer in Temecula to come up with the right approach is a must. Here are some of the issues that will need to be discussed and settled as part of the custody arrangement.
Who Will Have Physical Custody?
While the two adults will not longer live in the same home, the children must have a permanent residence. This means one of the parents will take on the role of the custodial parent and provide a place for the kids to live. The custodial parent will have physical custody of the children and manage the day to day tasks associated with child rearing. The remaining parent is designated as the non-custodial parent and will provide some type of support that is intended to aid in the care of the children.
What Type of Support May Be Included?
Many people think of child support as being a weekly or monthly amount of money that the non-custodial parent pays to the custodial parent. As a Child Custody Lawyer in Temecula will explain, the support can also come in other forms. Along with providing cash to help with day to day expenses, the non-custodial parent may also agree to provide health insurance for the children. The terms of the custody arrangement may also require the non-custodial parent to maintain a minimum amount of life insurance coverage until the children reach the age of majority. In many cases, the beneficiary of the life insurance policy will be the custodial parent.
Visitation Privileges
The court will consider it important for the children to have ongoing contact with both parents unless there are extenuating circumstances that indicate the contact would not be in the best interests of the children. To this end, the lawyers for each parent will seek to work out and equitable visitation arrangement. The arrangement will allow the non-custodial parent a certain amount of time each month with the kids, plus access to the children on certain holidays.
For anyone who is facing a divorce and needs help with child custody and support arrangements, contact the Law Office of Michelle Penna today. After reviewing the specifics of the case, it will be possible to work out an arrangement that is reasonable and is in the best interests of the children.