Who Needs to Take Parenting Classes in Florida?

Jay Butchko — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 13:35:10 +0000

It might sound like a cliché, but the purpose of Florida’s family courts is not to punish anyone. The goal has always been to put the best interests of the child first, but in the past, many child custody and support decisions left one or both parents feeling shortchanged and bitter. The parent who had the children for most of the time often felt like he or she received inadequate financial support from the children’s other parent. Meanwhile, the non-custodial parent would be left feeling like he or she was being required to pay huge amounts of money for the children, while the courts did little to encourage a healthy parent-child relationship. The parenting plan system that Florida has been following in recent years has done a lot to address this problem, but it still is not easy to raise children with your ex-spouse. As much as you love your children and want the best for them, it can be hard to want to cooperate with the ex who broke your heart or betrayed your trust. Therefore, Florida requires almost all parents who are not married to each other to take a parenting course in order to help them raise their children even when the parents are not each other’s life partners.

What Parenting Courses Are and What They Are Not

The official name for Florida’s legally required parenting classes is the Parent Education and Family Stabilization Course. Florida requires these courses for all parents of minor children, except those parents who are peacefully married to each other. When a couple who has minor children together divorces, both parents must complete a parenting course before the divorce can be legally finalized. Likewise, when a man establishes legal paternity of a child, and the child’s mother is not the man’s wife, both parents must complete a parenting course.

Court-ordered parenting courses are not a punishment. They are also not an alternative to some greater burden, the way that courts sometimes order addiction treatment programs instead of incarceration for people convicted of drug possession. The course is much more similar to the one-day course on traffic laws that all Florida drivers must take before taking the test to get a driver’s license. The idea is that co-parenting is a responsibility and a privilege, like driving. Like the driver safety course, the parenting course is only one day long. In fact, Florida law requires the course to be a minimum of four hours. The course typically costs between $18 and $39.

If a court requires you to take a parenting course, do not think of it as a punishment. Your ex-spouse also has to take the same course, as do all divorced parents in Florida. Besides, you and your ex do not have to attend the course together.

Bundza & Rodriguez Can Help with Child Custody and Co-Parenting

All divorced parents need to take parenting courses in Florida, but every family is unique. Contact Bundza & Rodriguez, P.A. in Daytona Beach, Florida for help reaching an agreement to raise your children with your ex-spouse.

Resource:

flcourts.org/core/fileparse.php/293/urlt/995a.pdf

Parenting Plans in Florida

Jay Butchko — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 16:03:59 +0000

When a divorcing couple has minor children, Florida law requires the parents to file a parenting plan, Form 12.995(a), with the court. This document elaborates in great detail, the rights and responsibilities of each parent regarding time spent with their children. In some instances, the parents can agree between themselves on all the provisions of the parenting plan and submit it to the court as a finished document. Many divorced couples, however, disagree strongly about certain matters related to how to raise their children. When divorce cases involve extensive litigation, very often issues related to child custody and visitation are a major point of contention.

When the parents have a fundamental disagreement about one or more items on the parenting plan, it is up to the judge to make a decision, with which the parents must comply. Florida courts always consider the best interest of the children when making any decisions related to child custody and visitation. When an item on the parenting plan is in dispute, each parent must convince the court that his or her preferred arrangement is in the children’s best interest.

What a Florida Parenting Plan Includes

The parenting plan attempts to resolve any conflict that might arise regarding the children’s upbringing before the conflict starts. It specifies which parent or parents may make decisions relating to the children’s education and non-emergency medical care. It contains provisions about whether each parent may enroll the children in extracurricular activities. The parenting plan also requires the parent (or the court) to specify whether one parent may choose a babysitter or daycare provider for the children without the other parent’s approval.

Perhaps the parenting plan is at its most detailed when it comes to how much time the children spend with each parent. One item on the document asks how many nights per year the children are to spend with each parent. It also gives parents the opportunity to state formally that the children are to spend a certain amount of time each year with a grandparent or other relative. Since holiday visitation can be such a source of disagreement, the parenting plan requires the parents to decide how much time children will spend with each parent during each winter, spring, and summer break.

What a Florida Parenting Plan Does Not Include

Form 12.995(a) assumes that the parents live within 50 miles of each other and that they will continue to reside in that same 50-mile radius. Therefore, it does not contain provisions for what will happen if one parent moves more than 50 miles away. When the custodial parent moves far away, he or she must first get the court’s approval. Then the parents must file a long distance parenting plan, Form 12.995(c). Parenting plans also do not contain information about child support.

Contact Bundza & Rodriguez with Questions About Florida Parenting Plans

If need assistance crafting a parenting plan or have other family law issues in Daytona Beach, we can help. Don’t hesitate to reach out to our skilled attorneys at Bundza & Rodriguez for the professional assistance you need.