Understand the types of child custody available

On behalf of Barli & Associates LLC posted in child custody on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.

New Jersey parents who wish to protect their parental rights in their divorce proceedings need to understand the various kinds of child custody available.

Generally, parents will want to understand the following terms and what they mean in the context of a child custody dispute:

Legal custody: This type of custody refers to the decision-making capabilities of a parent. With legal custody, the parent has authority to make decisions about schooling, religion, medical care, sports and other activities.
Physical custody: This type of custody refers to the parent with whom the child lives full time. The parent with physical custody will provide shelter, food and care for the children full time.
Custodial parent: This parent is the one with whom the child lives. In many cases, a custodial parent will share legal custody while retaining full physical custody.
Noncustodial parent: This parent is the one who the child does not live with. In most situations, a noncustodial parent will have visitation rights that can vary in duration and frequency.
Joint custody: A parent might have joint legal custody, joint physical custody or both. Usually, when the term joint custody is used, the parent will share all forms of custody jointly and the child will live part-time with both parents.

Are your custody rights in jeopardy? You can fight for your custody rights as a parent in New Jersey; however, you’ll want to do so in a legally appropriate manner. The more you understand about how New Jersey courts make decisions pertaining to custody disagreements, the better capable you’ll be of defending your legal rights in court.