Understanding Child Custody

Contrary to popular belief, custody is not about who the child lives with or how much time the child spends with each of the parents. It does mean, however, having the legal right to make major decisions about the child’s care and upbringing. The parent who has the custody has the right to make important decisions about education, health and medical care and religion. There are different types of custody arrangements that can be made for the best interest of the child.

Types of Child Custody

• Sole Child Custody: Sole custody is when only one parent is given the decision-making authority for all the major decisions for the child. In these situations, the child usually lives with the parent with the sole custody. Often sole custody is given to one parent in cases with abuse, drug addiction, violence or mental illness. This kind of custody is granted in the child’s best interest who might be at risk.
• Joint Child Custody: Joint custody is when both parents make decisions about the child jointly. They both have to give consent for any decisions being made for the child for education, health, medical care, religion etc. This usually happens when there is little or no conflict between the parents and they agree about most of the decisions. If there is ever a conflict, it is resolved maturely and calmly in the best interest of the child.
• Access: When a child lives primarily with one parent, the other parent is granted access, also known commonly as visitation. Access means that the parent who has the access can visit the child supervised or unsupervised, depending on the situation and court order. The schedule is sometimes flexible and at other times, rigid. Having access does not mean that the parent can make any decisions for the child. That still belongs to the parent with the custody. However, access also means access to information about the child, for example, school reports, medical reports, and the child’s welfare.