In California and across the United States, many parents face a great deal of confusion when it comes to planning visitation transportation responsibility for their children. Pre-planning a visitation transportation arrangement can eliminate much stress associated with custody agreements.
Pick the location
Depending on the circumstances, certain decisions may need to be reflected in a visitation transportation plan. For example, parents should create a parenting plan that determines who is responsible for providing transportation to and from visits. In certain instances, parents may also need to consider determining a neutral drop-off location when conducting visitation transfers.
Follow the rules
When parents are creating a visitation transportation plan, they should factor how transportation costs should be handled and discuss procedures to be followed if the parent who’s transporting the child is running late. Details of the plan can also include information about the use of seat belts or car seats, if applicable. If visitation requires the child to fly, parents should include parameters for the child whenever he or she is traveling alone.
Even if a lawyer does not bring up the need to create a visitation transportation plan, a parent always has the right to express any concerns to counsel or to share these matters during a custody mediation session. Any agreements parents make about visitation arrangements or related matters should be documented to prevent confusion later on.
In some cases, a parent may refuse to adhere to the terms of a visitation transportation plan. If the court has ordered recurring child-parent visitation, parents should do everything they can to make sure the visitations take place. Otherwise, they risk being in contempt of court. If a parent faces the refusal of court-ordered visitation from the other parent, he or she should consider consulting with an experienced child custody & visitation attorney.
