When children are involved in a divorce or extramarital lifestyle, situations can become complex. This is especially true when parents are in contention and are having a difficult time agreeing on a custody plan. Unfortunately, this conflict brings the attention off what’s best for the child and puts it on the parental issues at play. When this occurs, it could be beneficial to work with child custody lawyers in Rolling Meadows to put your child first. Child custody attorneys can help ensure that the needs of the child are being met while considering the parent’s lifestyle. Learn more about child custody below.Â
The concept of child custody is relatively uncomplex, unlike the determination of such child custody. In short, child custody is the parenting of a minor child. Biological parents who exercise their rights as parents can determine and make decisions regarding the health and well-being of their children, their education, religious association, and place of residence. If parents get divorced, are deemed unfit to care for the child, or were not married to begin with, a legal determination of child custody might benefit that child. During the legal route of child custody, some questions intended to be answered revolve around which parent act in the best interests of the child and where the primary residence of the child is. There are different forms of child custody, all of which have different criteria.Â
In the past, Illinois recognized four main categories of child custody. These included joint custody, sole custody, legal custody, and physical custody. But in 2016, major revisions were made to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) which eliminated the official use of the terms “custody” and “visitation,” replacing them with “parental responsibilities” and “parenting time.”Â
The allocation of parental responsibilities refers to which parent is given the authority to make major life decisions for the child, including healthcare, education, and religion. These decision-making powers can be shared between the parties or granted to just one of them. It is common for states to split parental responsibilities when both parents are deemed fit to determine what will benefit the child.Â
Parenting time, on the other hand, focuses on where the child will spend their time. This is most common to the old concept of visitation. Parenting time may be awarded depending on where the child spends the most time and whether only one or both parents can protect the child and give them a safe living environment. Courts are encouraged to help children maintain a healthy relationship with both parents unless one parent is deemed unfit to care for a child, especially for reasons such as alcoholism or neglect.
Determining child custody is a complex process that often requires legal involvement in family court. Without significant legal experience, this can be stressful and confusing. For support in your child custody case, work with child custody lawyers in Rolling Meadows. At SAM LAW OFFICE LLC, our attorneys will support you through all steps of your custody case. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and begin your child custody case in Rolling Meadows.Â