Key Takeaways
- A parenting plan establishes how parents will share responsibility for their child after separation or divorce.
- It addresses residential schedules, holidays and vacations, transportation, and decision-making authority.
- Parents generally share decision-making responsibilities, although a plan may give one parent sole or final authority in certain circumstances.
- Where parents live can significantly affect the residential schedule.
- Washington has no one-size-fits-all parenting plan. The child’s best interests are the central consideration.
For parents who divorce or otherwise separate, few documents are more important than a parenting plan. It establishes the framework for how the child will spend time with each parent and how important decisions will be made.
Because every family is different, no two parenting plans will look exactly alike. Washington does not require every family to follow a single standardized arrangement. Instead, the plan should reflect the child’s needs and the parents’ circumstances.
What Is a Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is a court-approved document that addresses parenting and custody-related issues. It generally establishes:
- Where the child will live and when;
- How much residential time the child will spend with each parent;
- How parents will make major decisions;
- Who has authority over issues such as education, health care, and other important matters; and
- How holidays, vacations, transportation, and other special circumstances will be handled.
In short, the parenting plan provides the roadmap for raising a child between two households.
What Should a Parenting Plan Include?
Although there isn’t a single required blueprint, parenting plans generally cover several key areas.
Residential Schedule
The residential schedule is one of the most important parts of the plan. It establishes when the child will be with each parent.
Schedules can take many forms. In some families, the child primarily lives with one parent and spends alternating weekends and some weekday time with the other. In others, parenting time may be divided more evenly.
The right arrangement depends on factors such as the child’s age and needs, school schedule, parents’ work schedules, and how far apart the households are.
Washington generally uses the term residential time rather than relying on the traditional terms “custody” and “visitation.” The parenting plan spells out the actual schedule rather than simply assigning those labels.
Holidays and Special Occasions
Parenting plans typically address holidays and other important occasions. Parents may alternate holidays from year to year or divide them in another mutually agreed-upon way.
The plan may address major holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, as well as school holidays and other occasions. It can also include provisions for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and other special events.
It often includes vacation time, transportation arrangements, and other logistical details.
School Breaks and Vacations
School breaks can create scheduling challenges, so parenting plans generally specify how parents will divide residential time.
- Winter break: Parents may divide a longer winter break, with each receiving a portion of the time.
- Spring or mid-winter break: These shorter breaks may alternate between parents each year.
- Summer: Summer schedules can vary considerably. Some plans maintain the regular school-year schedule while allowing each parent additional vacation time.
The specific arrangement should account for the child’s activities, family traditions, travel plans, and each parent’s circumstances.
Decision-Making
Parents can generally make ordinary day-to-day decisions while their child is in their care. Major decisions, however, are different.
A parenting plan addresses who has responsibility for significant decisions involving matters such as education, health care, and religious upbringing.
In many cases, parents share decision-making authority and are expected to work together. Depending on the circumstances, however, a parenting plan may give one parent sole or final decision-making authority in particular areas. When that happens, the plan should clearly identify the scope of that authority.
How Do You Create a Parenting Plan?
No single arrangement works for every family. The parenting plan should reflect the child’s needs and the practical realities of the parents’ lives.
Distance between households can matter a lot. A schedule may be relatively straightforward when parents live in West Seattle and Queen Anne, for example. It becomes much more complicated when one parent lives in Seattle and the other lives in Spokane.
Parents can also negotiate many of the details themselves. A family that places particular importance on Thanksgiving, for example, might agree that one parent will have Thanksgiving every year while balancing the schedule with additional time or different holidays elsewhere in the plan.
Any agreement ultimately must meet the applicable legal requirements and be approved by the court when court approval is required. The central consideration is the child’s best interests.
Because parenting plans can have long-term consequences, parents should consider speaking with a qualified Washington family-law attorney before finalizing one.