Why Unmarried Parents Need A Custody Agreement
You’d be forgiven if you think that you may only need a custody agreement or parenting plan if you’re going through a divorce, but you’d probably find it exceedingly beneficial to have one if you and your co-parent are unmarried. There could be a variety of personal reasons why you two have elected to not be married, but a simple fact is that the lives of your children would be aided by you both being in agreement on issues of custody, visitation, and support.
When parents aren’t married to each other, they have the same parental rights and responsibilities afforded to married ones. The main difference, however, is that a father’s aren’t recognized unless done so by a court ruling. In the case of an unmarried couple having a baby in most states, sole custody and guardianship is granted to the mother unless the courts determine otherwise. This doesn’t mean that the father has no rights, just that he’ll need to receive court orders to have those enforced. The way to go about getting those court orders is different from state to state, so be sure to consult your state’s family law doctrines to figure out how to best go about that.
Once you’ve done that or elect to forego court proceedings, you and your co-parent should develop a parenting plan and custody agreement. A custody agreement will help you two communicate and on how to best execute the steps put forth in your plan in aim to raise your children in tandem. It should be all-inclusive and can include but not be limited to:
A detailed schedule tailored to the needs of your child.
Expense arrangements.
Notes on how negotiations and communications will be held between co-parents.
Unlike parents who are going through divorce, unmarried parents have the liberty of choosing to bring in the courts to enforce the custody agreement. Here on Biadvo, we offer an effective way to help co-parents, unmarried or otherwise, to develop a custody agreement custom to you and your family’s specific needs.
