A Proposed Parental Responsibility Plan must be completed if there is a dispute about a child’s custody, visitation or decision making. The form must be filed in the Family Court on before the Case Management Date in any pending divorce, legal separation or custody action in Connecticut.
Each parent is required to file their own proposed Plan which must set forth the following:
- Where the child will live
- How decisions concerning the child’s health, education and religious upbringing will allocated
- A mechanism for dispute resolution (i.e. co-parenting counseling, mediation etc.)
- The consequences of a parent failing to follow the terms of the Plan (i.e. Contempt, forfeiting responsibilities)
- How to adapt to the changing needs of the child
- There is also the option to propose terms unique to the particular circumstances of the family
At the Case Management Date, the judge will usually send the parents to Family Services to discuss their respective plans. If no agreement can be reached, Family Relations may be ordered to perform an Evaluation. A guardian ad litem or attorney for the child may also be appointed.
The proposed plan is not nearly as detailed as a final Parenting Plan. The notion is to put the judge and the other parent on notice as to the more important aspects. The fine points will be taken up as the final Parenting Plan is constructed or at a custody trial, if necessary.
I help clients with Parenting Plans though out Fairfield County including Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Trumbull, Stratford, Bridgeport, Westport, Weston, New Canaan, Wilton, Norwalk, Darien, Stamford and Greenwich.
Please email me or call me in Stamford at (203) 356-1475 or in Fairfield at (203) 259-5251 to schedule a consultation concerning a Proposed Parental Responsibility Plan.