How is child custody determined in British Columbia?
One of the most important things that happen during a divorce between people who have children is the child custody order. Child custody is one issue that can cause great strife between parents. Learning about some basic points of child custody can help you to know what to expect. It can also help you to make decisions during the child custody determination process.
What is the difference between access and custody?
Access is granted to the parent who doesn’t have custody of the children. Custody is either sole, joint or split. This term means who the child will live with. If a parent has sole custody, that parent’s home is where the child lives most of the time. The other parent would usually have access to the child, which means the right to visit the child and ask about the child.
How is child custody determined?
When parents can agree about what will happen with the children, they can often come up with a parenting plan on their own. In this case, the agreement would be what governs the child custody issues. If the parents are unable to come to an agreement about the child, the court will have to step in to decide on a custody order. The court will consider all factors presented to it before deciding what is in the child’s best interests.
If you are in the midst of a child custody battle, you should understand your rights. You should also work to understand how the law pertains to your case. All of this is crucial so that you can make decisions whenever necessary.
Source: FindLaw Canada, “How is child custody determined?,” accessed March 18, 2016
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