Can a parent not have primary physical custody of a child?

A parent who does not have primary physical custody of a child is legally entitled to visitation with that child. There are exceptions to this when it is not the best interest of the child. If the parents cannot agree to a visitation schedule, the judge will order a schedule.

What does it mean when both parents have joint custody?

Joint legal custody is when both parents retain joint responsibility for the care and control of the child and joint authority to make decisions concerning the child, even though the child’s primary residence may be with only one parent.

What are the grounds for full custody of a child?

Full custody would be in the best interests of your children. The other parent shows a serious lack of involvement. Some kind of abuse is occurring in the home (physical, substance, mental, or emotional). The other parent lacks the financial ability to care for the child, or cannot offer the child a proper living environment.

What’s the difference between joint physical and sole custody?

Joint physical custody is where both parents share physical and custodial care of the child. Sole custody gives a parent the primary responsibility for the care of the child. That parent makes all the daily decision about his/her child’s life. What is Visitation?

What happens when a parent has sole custody?

If a parent has sole physical custody, their child will live with them full time and have visits (potentially supervised visits) with the other parent, unless the court finds that visits wouldn’t be in the child’s best interest.

What does joint physical custody of a child mean?

Joint physical custody does not mean that the children must spend exactly half the time with each parent. Usually the children spend a little more time with 1 parent than the other because it is too hard to split the time exactly in half.