A divorce may involve more than the spouses involved. If the married couple has children, concerns about their welfare factor into any decisions. The parents might agree on several matters related to the child’s care, so they could submit a draft child custody agreement for a California judge’s review. Hopefully, both parties put forth a workable and sensible custody plan.
Drafting the child custody agreement
The child custody agreement should include pertinent details about the most critical elements of a custody arrangement. Detailing whether one parent receives primary custody or the agreement reflects a joint custody arrangement seems essential. So does listing which parent has decision-making authority through legal authority and which parent the child will reside with.
Other items may appear in the child custody agreement, including the visitation schedules, the name of the school the child will attend, and information related to extracurricular activities. The court would likely have questions about draft agreements that are ambiguous, meaning the final divorce decree could end up delayed. A properly drafted agreement might not have such glaring problems.
Negotiating the child custody agreement
Divorce negotiations may include decisions about child custody arrangements. When the parents agree, the negotiations could go smoothly. However, they might become contentious when the spouses cannot settle on a viable child custody agreement.
A judge may settle the disputes during a trial, but the process could be costly and time-consuming. Another option could be mediation, where the mediator helps the parties find themselves on the same page. Collaborative divorce might be another option. These approaches could be far less costly than a drawn-out trial.
