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Parenting Plan/Visitation Order

Both parents have the right to see their child unless the court rules otherwise. Seek legal help if you are being denied your visitation rights.

A parenting plan (also called a visitation order) is the schedule for when the baby will see both parents. This schedule should be tailored to the individual schedules of both parents and the needs of your baby. There is no right schedule – just a schedule that works for you. However, the law does say that both parents should have frequent and consistent contact with their child.

If you are worried that your baby might not be safe with the other parent, you may want to ask that your baby has supervised visitation or no visitation with the other parent. If you are asking for this type of order, you should make sure to bring specific examples showing why you believe your baby will not be safe with the other parent.

If you cannot agree about visitation, you will have a supervised mediation. If you cannot agree on a visitation plan in mediation, you will then see the judge. The judge should listen to both your side and the other parent’s side. The judge will then make a decision about what kind of custody and visitation orders are in your baby’s best interest.

The judge’s decision will be your court order, and you must follow it even if you do not like it. However, if you believe that things have changed since the judge made their decision, you can go back to court and explain to the judge why the judge’s decision is no longer in your baby’s best interest.