HomeFeaturesLaw › “Stay-at-Home” Solutions for Divorced Parents
 
 
 

stay-home-strategy.jpg

Separated and divorced parents are sorting out what Arizona’s new “stay-at-home” order means for their court-ordered Parenting Plan. Will this change our parenting time schedule? Does this mean we can no longer exchange the children between us? Is “legal decision-making authority” affected?

The short legal answer is likely, “no.” The more realistic answer is, “probably.”

Arizona’s stay-at-home order does not relax child custody orders. But in reality, strict compliance with custody arrangements may not be possible. Parents are rapidly adapting to working and schooling from home while public places are closed, and serious health and safety risks affect all aspects of parenting. Stress levels are rising. Many parents are unable to agree on basic issues causing conflict to skyrocket.

Family courts are not equipped to handle the volume or types of issues parents need to address. Courts are backlogged and unable to hear cases. Litigation over these issues is also harmful to the emotional well-being of parents and children.

“Temporary agreements” between parents to modify custody orders are almost inevitable. Online Parenting Mediation in Arizona offers co-parents the opportunity to work together with the guidance of a professional family mediator to resolve disagreements in a quick, successful, and affordable manner. At The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation, we are experiencing an uptick in online mediations of COVID-19 related parenting issues.

Here are some solutions based on what our experiences thus far have taught us:

Can we agree to temporarily change our parenting time schedules?

Yes. Parents can mutually agree to change their time-sharing arrangements to meet their specific needs. Some parents are moving to a “week-on / week off” schedule to minimize child exchanges. Others are temporarily establishing one parent as the “weekday parent” and the other as the “weekend parent.” One parent may focus on “schooling” children at home while the other works during the week.

Parents can also agree to a liberal Facetime schedule so both parents stay in communication with the children each and every day. These could occur even several times per day.

How often should we review our temporary modifications to our parenting time agreement?

There is no set rule. Parents can agree as to how often and under what circumstances they will review their temporary modifications. We have seen parents agree to reassess their agreements once per week, once per month, or upon the happening of specific events.

Can we agree to “make-up” parenting time in the future, if one of us temporarily gets more time with the kids?

Yes. To reduce conflict and provide peace of mind, parents can proactively agree that any parenting time missed during the crisis will be “made-up” in the future. Parents can informally agree to this or they can choose to have documents filed with the court to ensure that the agreement is honored.

Click here to read the rest at auritmediation.com.