Creating an Arkansas Custody Schedule

Every state has different guidelines regarding child custody so it is important that you know your state's laws as you make your child custody schedule. For divorced or separated parents in Arkansas, custody laws can be found in Chapter 13 of the Arkansas Family Code (Title 9). Even though Arkansas laws do not specify everything you need in your custody schedule, they do have some general rules concerning custody matters that could influence how you go about creating your schedule. It is worth your time to know and understand the laws so you can ensure your schedule will be accepted by the court.

Arkansas Code can be a difficult read and understand. In the Code, there are actual laws along with commentary that shows how the laws have been used in various custody cases. Some of the examples can be helpful, but it can be difficult to get through all the information. Arkansas does not have a lot of laws you need to know, fortunately. Here are the ones that do affect your custody schedule (Title 9-13):

• All custody decisions are made based on the child's best interests.

• The parents' genders are not considered when awarding custody.

• The child's preferences may be considered if the child is of adequate age and maturity.

• Each parent should have frequent and continuing contact with the child if it is in the child's best interests.

• Although Arkansas does not have a preference for joint custody, the court may still award it.

• The court may order visitation for a child's siblings if it benefits the child.

• The court may order visitation for grandparents if it is in the child's best interests.

You need to make all of your custody decisions with your child's best interests in mind since that is the main element the court considers. As you develop a custody schedule, you should remind yourself that you do want what is best for your child. It can be easy to get frustrated or have bad feelings and get distracted from putting your child's welfare first.

You need to think about what is best for your child when deciding where he/she will live primarily. You need to look realistically at what your child needs to decide he/she will reside. If your child is old and mature enough to have an opinion about where to reside, you should take that into consideration.

Arkansas does not have a particular preference for joint custody but may grant joint custody if it is best for the child. If both parents desire to have joint custody schedule, the court will probably grant it.

As you create your custody schedule, you must consider your child's other family relationships. If your child has siblings, the schedule should allow time for siblings to be together. If your child has special relationships with grandparents, those relationships should not end abruptly with a separation or divorce. If you child has any other significant people in his/her life, your custody schedule should reflect that.

Since there are not any specific requirements for what your custody schedule includes, let's take a look what a general custody schedule will have:

• An everyday or regular schedule,

• A schedule for holidays and special events,

• A vacation schedule, and

• Provisions for how parents handle exchanges, how they will make changes to the schedule and anything that will make the schedule more effective.

Prepare your Arkansas custody schedule with the above elements and consider other laws that have been discussed. If you keep your child's best interests in mind, your custody schedule will be accepted by the court.