Starting in 2020, Maryland changed its divorce laws to require a “parenting plan” if child custody was an issue in a Maryland divorce. If you need legal assistance with your divorce or parenting plan here in Charles County, call us here at the Law Office of Robert Castro at (301) 870-1200. We have the experience and depth of knowledge to provide the best legal guidance. We are divorce attorneys in Waldorf, Maryland. Our number is (301) 870-1200. In this article, our experienced Maryland divorce and family law attorneys provide some details of Maryland’s parenting plan requirement.

As noted, a Maryland parenting plan is now officially required for Maryland divorces where minor children are involved. Officially, the parents must file a form with the Maryland divorce court called a “Joint Statement of the Parties [Parents] Concerning Decision-Making Authority and Parenting Time.” The parenting plan must include the agreement (or disagreement) of the parents concerning the following:

• Who has decision-making authority for the children — this can be broken down into specific topics like education, religious training, etc.; this can also designate one parent or both
• How parenting time shall be scheduled — for example, who has which child on which days
• How transportation and exchanges shall take place
• How communications between parents and child(ren) will be handled
• Who will handle child care (or how child care will be handled)
• Other issues — may include many things like the right to be in attendance for special events like holidays and graduations, etc.

The form itself is rather short and, in truth, does not really cover all of the many contingencies that are known to occur in child custody arrangements after a divorce. It may be more useful to have experienced Maryland divorce and family law attorneys draft a separate (and longer) agreement that can be summarized in the court form. Examples of other issues to be considered:

• Sharing of information relevant to the child(ren) — not just the method of communication, but the content such as “we went to the hospital” or “there was a fight at school”
• Handling illnesses and other events that impact the parenting schedule
• Vacations — when, where, joint vacations or just one-parent vacations and other issues
• How to handle situations if one or both parents find new romantic partners
• Issues with respect to other family members — like grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc.
• Taking the child(ren) across state lines
• Rules for engaging in certain activities — like roller coaster rides — with the child(ren)
• And more

While the Maryland divorce court form is sufficient for legal purposes, a longer, more detailed parenting plan has some advantages. First, it allows the parents to really think about practical problems and allows some resolution before the fact and before emotions get charged. Second, it sets the expectations of the parents and the children. It avoids confusion, misunderstandings, and uncertainties. Third, it can help avoid yet another emotionally charged and draining court experience where a Maryland divorce court judge is required to resolve a dispute between the parents. Avoiding court is good for the kids, too.

Maryland parenting plans are designed to help the parents agree on as much as they can. As such, parenting plans are beneficial even if the parents can only agree on a few of the many issues. For the other issues — the ones on which no agreement can be reached — the Maryland divorce court judge will resolve the dispute. Judges will often schedule a mandatory mediation — which might help the parents resolve some issues. Where mediation is unsuccessful, the court will schedule a trial to take evidence and render a decision.

Contact Waldorf, Maryland Family Law and Divorce Lawyer Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland family law and divorce lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Divorce lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD, 20601.