You and your co-parent have been able to follow your parenting schedule successfully since you divorced months ago, but sometimes, things change. Or maybe things never ran that smoothly.
You might have gotten a job that no longer requires you to travel extensively from one Georgia city to the next, and you can have the kids at home with you every weeknight now. Maybe your ex has moved in with a significant other and you are concerned about the new living arrangement. Or, perhaps the other parent has missed scheduled visits.
If so, it just might be time to modify the parenting agreement.
Working together to make changes to the agreement is the easiest way to modify it. If the two of you can come to terms amicably and create a new parenting plan, you can file it with the court and the judge can sign off on it.
If you can’t come to an agreement on a modified plan, you likely will need to have your family law attorney draft a new plan to file with the court. If you must take your case before a judge, you can do so only after filing a child custody modification petition.
You and your co-parent will state your cases to the judge. In court, you must explain what changes have occurred to justify your request. Changes that can lead to a modification may include:
- Your work schedule has changed
- A parent wants to relocate
- Your ex isn’t following the parenting schedule
- You don’t think the child’s residence is safe
Be prepared when you go into court with things such as a journal you’ve kept when problems have arisen with the current plan, how the children’s activities affect the existing plan and statements from teachers or others who can attest to why a change in the custody plan could be beneficial.