In child custody cases, it is not uncommon for a court to create a visitation schedule. This enables a parent in California or elsewhere to have a relationship with their children whether he or she is granted custody or not. As a general rule, parents are allowed to have a role in a son or daughter’s life assuming that they are fit to do so.

A visitation schedule may still be created in the event that parents have joint custody over their kids. This can reduce the odds that parents fight or otherwise have disagreements that could impact the children. Such a calendar will have the dates and times at which a parent will be able to see his or her child. It will also have the location at which the visit may take place, and a judge can stipulate whether it is supervised in nature.

The terms of a custody schedule may be determined in part by how far the parents live from each other. It could also be determined by input from the parents themselves as well as professionals who work with the court. If the child is old enough, he or she may offer input into a child custody schedule. After the schedule is finalized, it is binding on all parties.

In a child custody case, there are many factors that decide how often a parent can contact or spend time with a son or daughter. The proximity of the parent to the child as well as his or her fitness to parent are often two of the main factors. However, the overriding factor when creating an order is typically meeting the needs of the child. In some cases, the parents may decide for themselves how to meet this criteria by holding mediation sessions with their lawyers.