Making a Connecticut Visitation Schedule

When creating a visitation schedule wherever you live, you need to know about the family laws in that state. In the state of Connecticut, you can find those laws in the General Statutes of Connecticut, Title 46b, Family Law. The Superior Court of Connecticut prefers that parents come to an agreement on child custody and other matters and then submit that agreement to the court. After the court reviews it, the agreement will either be accepted or rejected in whole or part. If it is rejected, changes will be made as the court deems necessary and proper. It is in the child's and parents' best interest to reach a fair agreement so the court can rule in favor of it.

Before you begin creating your Connecticut visitation schedule, it is essential to realize the schedule will become a court order that must be followed and there are penalties for not following it once it has become official. If either parent is found to be in contempt of a court order, that parent will be held responsible for paying all legal fees and court fees and may even have to go to jail. The benefit of making your own schedule is that you can be flexible and creative with it but you still have to follow it completely.

You should also consider that Connecticut law gives third parties the ability to apply for (and receive) visitation rights. At the court's discretion, it may allow a third party to have visitation with the child if that third party applies and visitation is found to be in the child's best interest. A Connecticut court is not likely to go outside of the parents' wishes, but if a third party can prove to the court that they have a previously established relationship and that severing the bond between that party and the child would be detrimental to the child, that person is likely to receive visitation time. Third party visitation time does not imply any parental rights and it does not take away any of the parents' rights.

What goes into a visitation schedule? Your Connecticut child visitation schedule should contain these basic components:

• A basic schedule that dictates when each parent has parenting time with the child. You can use a traditional schedule, modify one or create something entirely unique to your child.

• A separate schedule for how holidays and special days will be shared between parents. Some parents rotate holidays and alternate them each year, but you can make a holiday schedule that is unique to your situation and that is best for your child.

• Provisions for school and personal vacation time. Typically, the school vacations are set and the personal vacations can be flexible, with notice. This can be customized to best suit your child's needs.

• Provisions for transportation, including the transfer location and which parent is responsible for picking up and dropping off the child.

One of the most important things to remember when making a visitation schedule in Connecticut is that it is for the child and not the parents. Connecticut uses the child's best interests as the determining factor in family law cases. An agreed upon visitation schedule that is in the child's best interests will most likely be accepted by the court.