Crafting a Parenting Plan for Unwed Parents

Parenting plans must be carefully drafted to protect the rights of unmarried parents and their children.

2011-06-25

June 25, 2011 (Press-News.org) Making arrangements for child custody and visitation can be difficult in the best of situations, but even more so if the parents are unmarried. Unwed parents have to work even harder to ensure that the best interests of their children are protected when making decisions about child custody and parenting time (perhaps better known as "visitation"). Since roughly 40 percent of children are now born out of wedlock, issues surrounding parenting plans for the children of unmarried parents are more important than ever.

While it is always advisable to craft a comprehensive parenting plan with the assistance of skilled family law attorney, many couples are now -- in the interest of saving money -- trying to come up with a framework for custody and visitation themselves. It is possible to create a workable parenting plan that keeps the best interests of your children at heart without the aid of a lawyer, but guidelines set forth in Virginia law need to be followed or the plan is likely to be accepted by a family court.

What Factors Does the Court Consider?

Virginia Code Section 20-124.3 sets forth the factors that family court judges consider when making custody or visitation decisions that are in the best interests of the children; they include:
- Age, physical condition and mental health of each child involved
- Age, physical condition, criminal history, substance abuse issues and mental health of the parents
- Relationship between each parent and the child
- Role each parent has played in the life of the child to date

Unwed parents can greatly increase their chances of successfully seeking custody or parenting time with their children by working with an experienced family law attorney, but by putting their children's needs first, it is possible to come up with a mutually workable custody and visitation arrangement.

Article provided by Michael A. Ward, P.C.
Visit us at www.wardlegal.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Optical circuit enables new approach to quantum technologies

2011-06-25

Professor Jeremy O'Brien, Director of the University of Bristol's Centre for Quantum Photonics, and his Japanese colleagues have demonstrated a quantum logic gate acting on four particles of light – photons. The researchers believe their device could provide important routes to new quantum technologies, including secure communication, precision measurement, and ultimately a quantum computer—a powerful type of computer that uses quantum bits (qubits) rather than the conventional bits used in today's computers. Unlike conventional bits or transistors, which can be in one ...

Mantis shrimp eye could improve high-definition CDs, DVDs

2011-06-25

The eye of the peacock mantis shrimp has led an international team of researchers to develop a two-part waveplate that could improve CD, DVD, blu-ray and holographic technology, creating even higher definition and larger storage density. Peacock mantis shrimp are one of only a few animal species that can see circularly polarized light -- like the light used to create 3-D movies. Some researchers believe the mantis shrimp's eyes are better over the entire visual spectrum than any man-made waveplates. A waveplate is a transparent slab that can alter the polarization of ...

When It Comes to Teen Driving, Attitude Beats Age

2011-06-25

According to Maryland driving instructor Charlie Hook (who has been teaching people how to drive for more than 40 years), teen drivers can be "just as good" as drivers with years of experience, as Vanessa Junkin of the Carroll County Times reports. But, Hook also said, "The attitude's more important than anything," weighting attitude as a heavier factor than age when it comes to good driving. And when you think of attitude, you think of your orientation to responsible driving. A teen driver with the right attitude will avoid drinking and driving, ...

Astronomers reach for the stars to discover new cancer therapy

2011-06-25

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Astronomers' research on celestial bodies may have an impact on the human body. Ohio State University astronomers are working with medical physicists and radiation oncologists to develop a potential new radiation treatment – one that is intended to be tougher on tumors, but gentler on healthy tissue. In studying how chemical elements emit and absorb radiation inside stars and around black holes, the astronomers discovered that heavy metals such as iron emit low-energy electrons when exposed to X-rays at specific energies. Their discovery raises the ...

'Quantum magic' without any 'spooky action at a distance'

2011-06-25

This release is available in German. The quantum mechanical entanglement is at the heart of the famous quantum teleportation experiment and was referred to by Albert Einstein as "spooky action at a distance". A team of researchers led by Anton Zeilinger at the University of Vienna and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information of the Austrian Academy of Sciences used a system which does not allow for entanglement, and still found results which cannot be interpreted classically. Their findings were published in the latest issue of the renowned scientific ...

Keeping Your Head Above Water in an Illinois Foreclosure

2011-06-25

In September and October 2010, several major mortgage lenders confessed that many of their employees had been signing and notarizing home foreclosure documents (affidavits) without reviewing their content. Lenders including GMAC/Ally, Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase all revealed they had filed thousands of documents without verifying the underlying mortgage information. As these documents were used in court proceedings, the inaccuracies often resulted in unintended and unfortunate outcomes for people trying to salvage what they could after a foreclosure. The revelation ...

Young people with type 1 diabetes at risk for heart disease

2011-06-25

AURORA, Colo. (June 25, 2011) New research shows that adolescents and young adults with type 1 (juvenile) diabetes have thicker and stiffer carotid arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, a risk factor for heart attack and stroke in adults. This research is believed to be the first to examine whether type 1 diabetes has a measurable effect on carotid arteries in this age group. The research is part of The SEARCH CVD Study, a collaborative effort between investigators at the Colorado School of Public Health and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Dana ...

Drug shows improved kidney function for type 2 diabetics, UT Southwestern researchers report

2011-06-25

DALLAS – June 24, 2011 – A new anti-inflammatory drug used by patients with type 2 diabetes improved their kidney function during a year-long study involving researchers from UT Southwestern Medical Center. The study findings, reported in today's New England Journal of Medicine, mark the first time a drug therapy has led to improved kidney function for patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Previous studies have identified drugs that slowed the deterioration of kidney function, said Dr. Robert Toto, director of the Houston J. and Florence A. Doswell ...

Common drugs linked to cognitive impairment and possibly to increased risk of death

2011-06-25

INDIANAPOLIS – A large, long-term study confirms that medications with anticholinergic activity, which include many drugs frequently taken by older adults, cause cognitive impairment. The research is also the first to identify a possible link between these drugs – which include over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids and incontinence treatments – and risk of death. The two-year study of the impact of these medications on 13,000 men and women aged 65 and older is part of the Medical Research Council (UK) Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies (CFAS), a large UK-based ...

Florida's Treacherous I-95, Setting for Multiple Car Accidents in May

2011-06-25

May was a popular month for auto accidents on Florida's I-95. Several car accidents took the lives of a handful of Florida drivers. Northbound I-95 Car Accident Causes Explosion, Kills Taxi Cab Driver Last month, a vehicle struck the rear end of a taxi cab while traveling northbound on I-95 in close proximity to 95th street causing both vehicles to catch on fire. The Florida Highway Patrol indicates that the vehicle struck the rear of the cab after the taxi blew a tire. The cab driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle sustained minor ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

CMD-OPT model enables the discovery of a potent and selective RIPK2 inhibitor as preclinical candidate for the treatment of acute liver injury

Melatonin receptor 1a alleviates sleep fragmentation-aggravated testicular injury in T2DM by suppression of TAB1/TAK1 complex through FGFR1

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals Shen-Bai-Jie-Du decoction retards colorectal tumorigenesis by regulating the TMEM131–TNF signaling pathway-mediated differentiation of immunosuppressive dendritic ce