The basics of a Parenting Plan are explained by Brighton-based collaborative solicitor and family mediator.
A Parenting Plan is a document that details how you and your ex -partner intend to share your parental duties and responsibilities after separation.
The document can include anything from day-to-day arrangements such as where your children will live and what school they’ll go to, to other topics such as when it is suitable to introduce them to a new partner.
The plan can also cover financial information such as who will pay for clothes and shoes for the children, who will give them pocket money and how you will support them when they grow older and want to attend college or university.
No matter how much information the plan contains, the main focus should always be on what’s best for the child.
But what’s best for the child at the time of separation may not be what’s best for them five or ten years down the line. Parenting Plans can easily be re-visited and adapted to suit the needs of the child as times and circumstances change.
Creating a Parenting Plan is a great first step towards successful co-parenting.
Create your FREE parenting plan at Splitting Up? Put Kids First and learn effective ways in communicating better.
For more advice from a lawyer/mediator’s point of view, see our Introduction to the Four Kinds of Dispute Resolution video on theParentConnection.org.uk.