What You Ought to Know About Shared Child Custody in Ontario

Shared child custody is one of the many forms of custody available after divorce in Ontario. While there are many different ways to deal with child custody, shared custody is generally considered to be one of the best choices. Before you pursue shared child custody, you should take the time to consider the following facts about shared custody.

Shared custody is also known as joint physical custody in Ontario. The two terms are used interchangeably throughout the province, so you may see information regarding the type of custody under either name.

Requirements for Shared Child Custody

In Ontario, shared custody requires that each parent spend at least forty percent of the time with each child. This does mean that one parent can spend more time with the child than the other, but the basic concept is that both parents should have roughly equal physical custody of the child. There is more to the concept, of course, but this is the basic

Child Support

One typical myth about joint custody is that it is a situation in which neither parent has to pay support. In reality, the court will still look at how much each parent makes and (more importantly) the amount of time that the parents spend with the children. As such, one should not look at having physical custody as a way to make sure that he or she does not have to pay for his or her child’s expenses. In fact, this type of custody will often end up costing each parent a bit more money.

Decision Making

In shared custody, decision making is usually split. This means that parents with this type of custody arrangement have to spend a bit more time together planning out their children’s lives. This is a good arrangement for former partners who still get along well, or who can at least be amicable where their children are concerned. If you cannot work with your ex-spouse, this may not be the best type of custody arrangement for you – even if you do want to spend as much time as possible with your child.

A shared arrangement is one of the best arrangements that you can pursue, but it is not the best in every case. You have to be sure that you can spend the necessary amount of time with your child and that you are able to work with your former spouse. If you can, pursuing this type of shared child custody will allow you the chance to spend more time with your child and to become an integral part of his or her life in the process.

Our family lawyers and Toronto divorce lawyers are here to assist you. Contact us today for your free consultation.