SPARC Forums

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

There are several parenting plans on this site....Look at them and make your own. You just need to type it up so it looks presentable....(copy the format from this site). Remember to add all the specifics ...Times/Dates/school vacations/summers/birthdays/ holiday weekends...
Post your plan here and you will get some responses on what we think from experience needs to be changed or if you forgot anything...
Good luck!

I'm in VA too.  Do you have to have the parenting plan submitted before the next hearing?  If so, I need to get on that as well.  I have one drawn up (I used the ones on this site as a template), but I haven't given it to anyone yet because no one's asked for it, and I honestly didn't know who to give it to or when.  If you know how that works I would appreciate the advice.