If you are going through a divorce and have children(s) less than 18 years of age, child custody could be one of the contentious issues in the entire lawful process. Before you start fighting for the custody of the child, you should be well aware with the differences between different types of child custody.
It is also important to realize the fact that you are not alone and they are experts who can help you to come out of the entire emotional setback. Yes, I am talking about child custody attorney. So, before you set your move towards them, have some idea about the kind of custody options you can make use of in the court of law.
i) Physical Custody
This is one of the most popular types of custody as it allows the child to spend most of the time with the parent issued physical custody. This type of custody is also known as ‘residential custody’. In the book of the law, there are certain divisions to this measure also and they are:
• Sole Physical Custody
This provision enables the child to reside physically with the parent in one fixed location. It is most common with the non-custodial parents.
• Joint Physical Custody
Also known as shared custody or shared parenting, this is something where the child spends half of the week with a parent and the rest of the time with another.
ii) Legal Custody
This type of authority gives parent full rights issued from legal orientation to make major decisions on behalf of the child. Some of the major decisions include which school the child will go, what religious upbringing the child will have, medical decisions, etc. This provision also comes with two separate options and they are:
• Sole Legal Custody
A parent having sole legal custody is the only person who has the authority to make major decisions legally on the behalf of the child.
• Joint Legal Custody
This is something where both the parents have the legal authority to make collective decisions for the betterment of the child.
iii) Visitation
Parent-child visitation enables parents who do not have the physical custody to go and meet the child on regular basis. It has two separate categories and they are:
• Unsupervised Visitation
Parents with unsupervised visitation are allowed to take their child out and can go out for an outing with the child.
• Supervised Visitation
Although this is very rare, courts offer supervised visitation where the other responsible adult should be present for the time being of the visit.
In case you are going through a divorce, ensure talking with your divorce attorney in Bellville or in other preferred location to discuss the growth of the case. This might help in getting the best arrangements for the custody of the child.
Remember, the best interest of the child remains only if he/she is happy and it is your responsibility to provide every bit of happiness possible to give to your child.
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