Getting to a child custody plan when the parents don’t agree

If you are facing off in court against the other parent of your child, chances are you didn’t get to that point because your relationship as parents is going smoothly. Whether the case is between ex-spouses or those who were never married at all, it can seem difficult, at the beginning of such a case, to see what the potential resolution of it might be. If you are facing a child custody dispute, getting to a plan when the parents don’t agree can be difficult, but not impossible.

So, how can this be accomplished? Well, in Florida and almost everywhere else, a family law court will start here: “the best interests of the child.” If you keep that standard in mind as you approach potential legal solutions, you will already be one step ahead of many others who find themselves involved in these disputes. You have your positions, yes, and so does the other parent, but the court must focus on the child involved in the case.

Finding potential solutions

With that said, there may be paths toward finding compromise between feuding parents. Sometimes the attorneys for the parties can negotiate directly to attempt to find a custody plan that works for all involved. However, there can be details that often frustrate those attempts, which is why many family law cases go to “mediation.” In mediation, a neutral, third-party mediator will attempt to help the parents find common ground—at least enough to establish a child custody plan that can work for the long haul.

Of course, sometimes there is no choice but to argue it out in court. However, family law courts usually believe that getting to a solution that is in the “best interests of the child” is better left to the parties to work out, if at all possible. But, if you find yourself in court in one of these disputes, you’ll want to make sure that your rights and legal position are protected.