Tips For Navigating Graduations for Co-Parents

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

You have probably been thinking about this event since the day your child was born. High school graduation is a mark in a child’s life that symbolizes their path to adulthood. They might be going off to college and your life might be changing forever. What you may not have thought about was the fact that you are divorced now. If you have gone through a rather troublesome divorce, attending events like these can be stressful for all involved--but they do not have to be. Here are some tips on how to behave civilly during your child’s special day:

Plan Ahead

Oftentimes, events such as graduations limit the number of tickets that each family is allotted to attend the event. If this is the case, you should plan ahead and make sure that you and your spouse have an equal number of tickets to allow all of your family members to attend the event. If need be, you should try to find additional tickets if you or your spouse have more family members than tickets.

Continue Reading ››

Understanding the Best Interest of the Child in Illinois

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

When you are going through divorce proceedings, one of the many facets that you will come across is issues pertaining to your children. In Illinois, physical child custody and visitation are called parenting time and legal custody is called parenting responsibility. When making decisions about these things, the court is always taking into consideration the best interests of the child. The majority of parents are concerned with their child’s best interests, but their views of what is best for the child can sometimes be clouded by everything else surrounding the divorce. Understanding what the court considers best for the child can help you anticipate what decisions the court will make with your case. What Is the “Best Interest” of the Child? In legal terms, the best interest of the child is used in most cases involving decisions made about children. This means that the judge presiding over the case will base his or her decision about parenting time and responsibilities on a number of factors to best suit the child’s individual needs. All states have some sort of standards set in place to determine what is in the child’s best interests. Determining Factors in Illinois

The Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1987 set into place specific factors judges take into consideration when a “best interest” determination is required. The child’s age and developmental needs are taken into consideration, along with:

Continue Reading ››

Child Representative in Illinois Divorce Proceedings

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

Divorce is not a walk in the park--some divorce cases can become extremely nasty pretty quickly. Unfortunately, in cases where there is a lot of fighting between spouses, the children often get lost in the shuffle. The parents are so preoccupied with fighting with each other that the best interests of their children often get pushed to the bottom of the pile, even if it is unintentional. Illinois courts recognize that divorce can wreak havoc on the emotions of those going through the divorce process, so they have put measures into place to make sure that the best interests of the children involved in these divorce proceedings are kept at the forefront.

When Is a Child Representative Used?

The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act states that any proceeding that deals with issues of support, visitation, custody, allocation of parental responsibilities, education, parentage, property interest or general welfare of a dependent child warrants a reason for the court to appoint a representative of some kind for the child involved in the hearing. There are three types of representation that is recognized in Illinois:

Continue Reading ››

Parental Responsibility Proceedings: Interviews, Evaluations, and Investigations

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

For some people, divorce may be a peaceful process. They may already know who will get the house, who will keep the dog and where their child will live. And if they do not already know, they may be able to quickly agree on those things. For the majority of divorcing couples, the decisions are not that easy and deciding parental responsibilities can become a long and combative process. When this happens, Illinois courts may decide to take things into their own hands and conduct interviews, evaluations, and investigations as to what the best parenting arrangement would be for the child. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act allows the court to require evaluations if the parents cannot come to an agreement on their own. Court Interviews Because the determination of parental responsibilities directly affects the child, it is important to understand his or her wishes in regard to the situation. Sometimes, the child does not have the chance to voice their wishes and in this case, the court will conduct an interview with the child to try to determine what they would prefer. According to the Act, counsel will be present during the interview and the interview will be recorded by a court reporter. Professional Evaluation

In addition to interviews, the court may either appoint a professional to conduct an evaluation or if a parent requests an evaluation, will allow either parent to choose a professional for the job. The professional’s job is to interview the parents and the child, observe the child with each parent, review court documents pertaining to the case, contact other professionals such as teachers, daycare workers, therapists and doctors and conduct psychological testing if needed. The professional’s report to the court must contain:

Continue Reading ››

Creating a Comprehensive Parenting Plan in an Illinois Divorce

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

In addition to dividing property, savings accounts, and retirement funds, many divorcing couples also have children that they must make arrangements for. Divorce is hard on everyone in the family, but it is arguably the hardest on the children. By creating a comprehensive parenting plan that encompasses as many issues pertaining to the children as possible, you can help eliminate some of the trepidation and mystery that a divorce brings.

Parenting Plan Is Required by Law

Under Illinois law, all couples who are divorcing and have children together must submit a parenting plan that covers a certain set of issues. These parenting plans help the court decide what the proper course of action is when awarding parenting responsibility and parenting time. If a couple does not have a comprehensive parenting plan to submit to the courts, they will be required to attend mediation to come up with a parenting plan that is agreeable to both parents.

Continue Reading ››

Back-to-School Tips for Divorced Parents

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

As summer comes to a close, children are returning back to school, some of which are excited to begin learning new things, while others are depressed that summer vacation is over. While some children are anxious to begin the new school year, some parents are as well. New school years can bring about issues for some divorced parents, such as purchasing school supplies, managing permission forms, communicating with teachers, and parent-teacher conferences. Back-to-school time can be daunting for divorced parents, which is why it can be beneficial to keep these tips in mind when dealing with issues that may arise throughout the school year:

Split the Cost of School Supplies

With the start of a new school year comes the need for new school supplies. With a long list of pencils, crayons, paper, folders and scissors that the teacher sends home, plus new school clothes, uniforms, shoes, a backpack and lunchbox, it is safe to say you will probably be spending a small fortune on these items. If you and your spouse do not have a prior arrangement worked out, it is a good idea to split the cost of these supplies, so one of you is not bearing the brunt of it.

Continue Reading ››

Modifying Parenting Plans for Parental and Child Relocation

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

There could be many reasons why you would want to petition to move out of the area with your child after a divorce - you could be moving for your job, to be closer to family or maybe you just want a change of scenery. Whatever the reason is, as long as you have the majority of parenting time or equal parenting time allocated to you, you can petition to relocate with your child. Typically, relocating with your child requires a change in your existing parenting plan. Though the process to make the change in your parenting plan can be stressful and time-consuming, it is not impossible.

Steps You Must Take

In Illinois, there typically must be a significant change in circumstances before you can change your parenting plan. A relocation constitutes a significant change. If you plan on relocating with your child, you are required to submit a written notice of relocation to your child’s other parent within 60 days of relocating. If you do not provide notice, the court can use that as a factor in considering whether or not the relocation is in good faith.

Continue Reading ››

FAQs About Parenting Time and Responsibilities in Illinois

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

Among all of the things that you must take care of when you are going through a divorce is your children. In Illinois, you are required to create a parenting plan that outlines parenting time, parental responsibilities, where the child spends certain holidays and when the child will be moving between homes. Illinois courts prefer you and your ex-spouse to come to an agreement before you go to court, but in the event that you cannot, the court will decide your parenting plan in a proceeding.

This realm of divorce can be confusing because Illinois has adopted the terms “parenting time” in place of “physical custody” and “parental responsibilities” in place of “legal custody.” Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about parenting plans in Illinois:

How Is Parenting Time Determined?

In Illinois, parenting time is urged to be decided by the parents of the child, but if the parents cannot come to an agreement, the court will intervene and make decisions about parenting time that are in the child’s best interest. The court will examine a variety of factors when making a determination, including:

Continue Reading ››

Thanksgiving, Divorce, and Parenting Time

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

Thanksgiving is the holiday that marks the time of year when fall is officially over and winter is beginning. For many families, Thanksgiving is the time of year when you gather around the table with your friends and family members and you share a delicious feast that you have cooked yourselves. It is a time to show your appreciation and remember everything you are thankful for, but for many families, Thanksgiving can be a stressful time of year. When you are divorced, many things in your life change, including how you celebrate holidays. If you have children, holidays can be especially difficult to figure out how you will celebrate. Though Thanksgiving can be wrought with stress and sometimes disappointment, here are four tips that may just help you survive this season:

Remember What the Holiday Is Truly About

Thanksgiving is a time for family. With that being said, it is not so much your happiness that is most important, it is your children’s. While the holidays can be stressful for you, it can be even more stressful for your children, because they want to spend it with both of their parents. Even if it is not in the cards for you to spend time with your children on Thanksgiving, do not make your children feel bad for spending time with your ex.

Continue Reading ››

Parenting Time During the Holiday Season

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Custody

Divorce is hard - that is no secret. But divorce is even harder during the holiday season. The holidays are all about spending quality time with your family, but when your family is split up, you have to find other ways to celebrate and make the season special. When you are divorced with children, you typically have a parenting plan that outlines where your child will be during certain times of the year and which holidays the child will spend with which parent. One of the hard truths that you must come to realize is that you will not always spend every single holiday with your children. While it can be difficult, it is something you must get used to. Here are a few tips you can follow to survive the holidays without your children

Do What You Want to Do

One of the best things you can do during the holiday season without your kids is whatever you want to do. If that means that you want to stay home, decorate your house for the holidays and host a big holiday party, then do it. Maybe you might want to take that warm beach vacation for the holidays but never wanted to make your children sacrifice holiday traditions. A year without your children during the holidays is a perfect time to do whatever your heart desires.

Continue Reading ››