What are the details of joint custody?

When parents decide on divorce, questions regarding custody cannot be put on the backburner. Instead, all matters involving a child or children need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Joint custody is common, as this gives both parents the opportunity to make decisions about how the child is raised.

With joint legal custody, for instance, both parents are in position to make key decisions. However, physical custody is awarded to one parent. This means the child lives permanently with one parent, not both.

The problem with a true joint custody arrangement is simple: it can cause more harm than good to the child, as they are bouncing around from one home to the next. For this reason, joint legal custody is much more common.

Remember this: The court will always do what is best for the child, and this typically means joint legal custody.

If you are going through a divorce, if you have at least one child with your partner, it won’t be long before you have to consider the custody arrangement that works best for you and your former spouse. While it’s your child that matters most, you still need to make decisions that allow you to spend time with him or her in the future.

Some couples are able to work out a joint custody agreement on their own. Others, however, will face off in court with the judge making a final decision as to what happens next. When you understand the details of joint custody, you will know what to expect if it comes to this.

Source: FindLaw, “Joint Custody,” accessed May 03, 2016