Pick-Ups And Drop-Offs Of Children In An Illinois Divorce

When you get divorced or split up and you have children, there are dozens of little things you have to arrange in order to co-parent effectively. Specifically, you will make a schedule of when your children will spend time with you and when your children will spend time with their other parent. Then, you will need to specifically outline how those children are to get to their respective parent’s homes. Making such a specific schedule for parenting time and transportation to the location that parenting time is supposed to occur is mandatory in Illinois. Arranging Pick-Ups And Drop-Offs By Agreement After An Illinois Divorce Usually, these details regarding transportation of children after a divorce are written in a parenting plan. A parenting plan is “a written agreement that allocates significant decision-making responsibilities, parenting time, or both.” 750 ILCS 5/600(f) “At a minimum, a parenting plan must set forth the following: provisions for the child’s living arrangements and for each parent’s parenting time, including either:(A) a schedule that designates in which parent’s home the minor child will reside on given days” 750 ILCS 5/602.10(f)(2) “[P]rovisions for the exercise of the right of first refusal, if so desired, that are consistent with the best interests of the minor child; provisions in the plan for the exercise of the right of first refusal must include:… iii) transportation requirements” 750 ILCS 5/602.10(f)(14)(iii) The best practice is for the parent beginning their parenting time to pick up the child from the other parent or from school. Otherwise, the parent ending their parenting time will be waiting on the other parent. Waiting for another parent to pick a child can result in the late parent forfeiting their parenting time if so agreed (this is not advisable as life happens and children will be disappointed). Being consistently late for pick-ups and drop-offs can result in a loss of parenting time for the chronically late parent. “[E]vidence favoring [one parent] as [a child’s] custodial parent [can include] the following: [the other parent] was sometimes late picking up the children for visitation” In re Marriage of Marsh, 799 NE 2d 1037 – Ill: Appellate Court, 4th Dist. 2003 Even better is when the parents can begin their parenting time and do their pick-ups from a school, daycare or activity. This limits contact between the parents and eliminates the waiting issue. If the parents cannot agree, the court will decide […]

from Russell D. Knight | Family Lawyer Chicago https://rdklegal.com/pick-ups-and-drop-offs-of-children-in-an-illinois-divorce/