Child Custody: Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

Child custody is one of the most common issues that arise in family law courts. One parent or both have a disagreement about the custody situation of their children. The parents approach the court to come to a legal decision about the responsibilities of each parent.

The court often likes to award joint custody to the parents. This provides each parent with equal or near equal time with the children, and it splits the responsibility of raising the children between both parties. However, there are times when sole custody is awarded. When this occurs, one of the parents becomes the custodial parent.

The custodial parent is the person with whom the children reside with on a permanent basis. In most cases, this parent is also primarily responsible for making decisions about the upbringing of the children. This generally only occurs when there is an agreement between the two parents for this arrangement, a need to award sole custody because of a danger to the children, or because there is only one parent actively involved in the child’s life.

Custody Can Be Changed

If you have previously entered into a child custody agreement, or if you are seeking new custody arrangements, you are encouraged to speak with an attorney. There are very specific legal issues that must be addressed to the court when it comes to custody. An OKC child custody lawyer will make sure that everything you need to present to the court is prepared in accordance with the law and ready to present to the judge.

Your OKC child custody lawyer can help you show the court why you need to become a custodial parent or why you would like to make other changes to the agreement you have with the other parent. All of this information must be presented in a way that the court will see that this decision is in the best interest of the children. The courts will only change custody agreements or award children to a sole custodial parent if it benefits the children.