A parenting plan in Canada is a formal agreement detailing how divorced parents will raise their children. As a guide for co-parenting, it spells out important things like who will have rights, when they will visit, who will make decisions, and how they will communicate.
A well-structured parenting plan puts the child’s best interests first while also considering both parents’ needs and wants. This is done to avoid arguments and keep things stable. A parenting plan is important for keeping a good co-parenting relationship and ensuring the child is safe during and after a separation.
What is a Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is a written deal that advises parents on how they will care for and make decisions about their kids after they get divorced. It includes important information like who will have control, when and how to visit, who will make decisions, and how to communicate. A parenting plan provides security and clarity by ensuring both parents know their responsibilities. They are meant to put the child’s best interests first.
Key Elements of a Parenting Plan
To ensure that kids are safe and healthy after their parents separate or divorce, they need a well-thought-out parenting plan. Here are the most important things to think about:
Custody Arrangements
Custody arrangements define who has legal and physical custody of the child. In Canada, there are two types of custody: joint custody and sole custody
For sole custody, one parent makes all the important decisions about their upbringing, like where they go to school, health care, and faith practices. The other parent may be able to visit, but they don’t have any say in what decisions are made.
Joint custody means that both parents make decisions about the child, which means they have to work together on big issues that affect the child’s well-being. Joint custody doesn’t always mean equal time with the kids, but it does mean that both parents are responsible for the child.
The parenting plan should clarify what kind of custody was agreed upon and ensure that both parents know their responsibilities.
Parenting Time and Visitation Schedule
To give the child consistency and stability, it is important to have a detailed plan for parenting time and visitation. It lists the weekdays, weekends, holidays, and vacations when the child will spend time with each parent.
Parents should also consider important days like birthdays, school events, and religious or national holidays. A well-thought-out plan helps kids stay close to both parents while keeping their routine as normal as possible.
Communication Guidelines
For co-parenting to work, parents must be able to communicate with each other clearly. The parenting plan should include clear rules for how to talk to each other respectfully. This includes the preferred methods of communication, like calling, emailing, or using messaging apps, and how often parents should talk about their child’s health, schoolwork, and hobbies outside school.
Setting clear rules for conversation can help keep disagreements and misunderstandings to a minimum, which is good for co-parenting relationships.
Resolving Conflicts
You will still have disagreements even if you have a well-drafted parenting plan. Because of this, it is important to include ways to solve conflicts. Parents can agree to talk things out, go to mediation, or get help from a family counselor to settle disagreements.
The parenting plan should include what to do in case of disagreements so that problems are fixed quickly and peacefully without hurting the child. For bigger disagreements, mediation may be needed.
Decision-Making
Making choices is an important part of a parenting plan, especially in big parts of the child’s life, like school, health care, religion, and hobbies outside school. When parents share custody, they are both responsible for the child. This means they have to work together to make the best decisions for the child.
Setting clear roles for decision-making helps avoid power battles and ensures that parenting is consistent.
Financial Support
Giving money is very important for raising a child because it helps pay for things like food, clothes, school, medical care, and extracurricular activities. In Canada, child support is usually figured out using the Federal Child Support Guidelines, which look at how much money each parent makes, how many kids they have, and who has custody.
The parenting plan should say how much child support is due, how often it is due, and how it will be paid.
How to Create a Parenting Plan in Canada?
In Canada, making a parenting plan requires careful thought and teamwork to protect the child’s best interests. Here’s how to do it:
Check Out Your Child’s Needs: Consider your child’s age, schedule, school, extracurricular activities, and emotional needs. Make sure the plan is stable and consistent.
Choose a Custody Arrangement: Choose the type of custody that works best for you, either sole or joint. Make it clear who is responsible for legal and physical care.
Set a Schedule for Parenting Time: Outline the weekdays, weekends, holidays, and vacations when the child will spend time with each parent. Be clear about where and when to drop off and pick up the items.
Establish Communication Guidelines: Determine how the parents will talk about their child’s interests and well-being. Include how and how often you talk (for example, phone, email, message apps).
Plan for Decision-Making: Mention the people who will decide about things like religion, extracurricular activities, health care, and education. If you have joint custody, explain how choices will be made together.
Include Conflict Resolution Strategies: Decide on ways to settle disagreements, like talking things out, meditating, or seeing a family counselor.
Parenting Plans vs. Court Orders
When parents in Canada get divorced, they can either make a parenting plan or ask the court to make decisions. Both are legal, but they are not the same regarding how flexible they are or how they work.
Parenting Plans: A parenting plan is a deal that both parents create together that spells out how they will raise their child together. It encourages everyone to work together and is flexible, so parents can make the plan fit the wants of their own family. Child custody and visiting plans, as well as how to make decisions and communicate with each other, are all covered in parenting plans.
Court Order: A court order is a decision made by a judge in a family court that must be followed. It is put in place when parents can’t come to an understanding through mediation or negotiation. Court rules outline a clear and enforceable plan for making decisions, visiting, and custody. If a parent doesn’t follow the rules of a court order, they can be sued.
Conclusion
Finally, a well-thought-out parenting plan is an important way to ensure kids get the care and security they need after their parents are separated. It sets clear rules for visits, custody, making decisions, and talking to each other, all while putting the child’s best interests first. No matter what method you use, the most important thing is to keep the child in mind and change the plan as needed.