Hinsdale Allocation of Parental Responsibilities Attorney

Allocation of Parental Responsibilities Attorney in DuPage, Cook, Lake, Will, and Kane Counties

Parental responsibilities in Illinois include both parenting time and the rights of a parent to make significant decisions on behalf of their children. When parents are getting divorced, either they or the court will need to allocate those important responsibilities between the parents so that it is clear who is responsible for decisions affecting a child’s medical care, religious upbringing, education and extracurricular activities. CG Law LLC has found that most parents can succeed in using alternative dispute resolution to allocate parental responsibilities, as the parents know their children and what works for them better than anyone else.

Our experienced lawyers are skilled in working with both parents—or the court, if necessary—to determine a parenting time schedule and reach agreements about which parent will be responsible for which decisions. Nearly all divorcing parents will share some degree of parenting time and decision-making responsibilities. We will take into consideration the needs of your child and all other relevant factors when helping you create a parenting plan that is right for you and your child.

Creating a Parenting Time Schedule During Divorce

Most parents want to spend as much time as possible with their children after getting divorced. The responsibility of caring for the children and making the less significant, but still meaningful, decisions that come with parenting time is often fought over by divorcing parents.

Mediation can be a very useful tool for parents who need to reach agreements about parenting time. Children generally win when their parents are able to keep them away from conflict and keep themselves out of court. However, if there is persistent conflict or a serious issue that suggests that one parent may not be able to safely care for the children, going to court might be necessary to protect the children's best interests.

Parents will need to consider things like the logistics of transporting children between households, each parent's work schedule, and maintaining continuity in education and structure when children are in each parent's home. The children's best interests come first when creating a parenting time calendar.

Allocating Parental Decision-Making Responsibility

Generally, the parent who currently has the child with them is responsible for making minor decisions, like what the child should have for dinner and what reasonable rules the child should follow. More major decision-making responsibilities may be allocated to one parent or shared between both parents. Decision-making duties that may be allocated include choices about:

• Medical and mental health care - Often, both parents will have some right to consent to medical treatment for their child. It is important to decide which parent has the responsibility of making major medical or mental health care decisions.
• Education - Parents have numerous choices. They may need to choose between traditional public or private school, online school, traditional homeschooling, charter school, and specialized programs.
• Religion - When the parents have different religious preferences, it is important to set clear boundaries regarding which religious activities each parent can involve the children in and what type of religious training each parent can provide.
• Extracurricular activities - Parents may have different opinions on what type of activities a child should be allowed to participate in. One might feel that tackle football is too risky, while the other may think it would be a healthy activity with acceptable risk. It is important to know which parent can consent to their child's participation in activities like sports, travel to competitions, and other extracurriculars.

If there are other major parental decisions that are important to your family, these can be included in your parenting plan.

Contact a Chicago Allocation of Parental Responsibilities Attorney

CG Law LLC will help your family work towards the best possible parenting plan. Our dedicated DuPage County child custody lawyers will do all we can to help you do what is best for your children. Contact us at 312-884-9012 for a complimentary consultation.