I recently had my interview with the LCSW that is doing my
home study, and she asked me about the
BM's visitation schedule should I be awarded
physical custody of our child. I was somewhat unsure on what a good schedule would be. This is in Virginia.
I had thought about this, but the LCSW got me to the point of seriously thinking about this - I really should have a solid
parenting plan submittted to the court before the next hearing date. I've tried to find the necessary court forms for parenting plan motions which are Virginia specific, but to no avail.
I can't really afford to buy one (the family court system is a grotesque cash cow for the legal profession anyway), so I decided to make on of my own.
I did find others, and specifically I found one from the state of Oregon -they had several - and the one in particular adresses domestic abuse, substance abuse and im my opinion addresses our circumstances well.
Although my main motivation is twofold 1) maintaining a mother-child relationship; and 2) protecting the physical and emotional well-being of our daughter, I can't deny the fact that I think it will help show the court that I am serious about my daughter's welfare and not just looking to fight.
QUESTION 1: I was going to use the forms as a TEMPLATE to develop a viable plan, and was wondering if that would be a good idea. Of course, I don't plan to actually use the Oregon documents.
QUESTION 2: Although the Judge has the power to throw the document out anyway, what potential pitfalls might doing this pose?
Any other advice would be appreciated.
durandal - in my own private thermopylae