How Is COVID-19 Influencing Parenting Plans in Illinois?

 Posted on January 11,2021 in Family Law

COVID-19 global pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of most people’s lives. If you are an unmarried parent, divorced parent, or you are considering divorce, you probably have questions about how COVID-related lockdowns may influence child custody issues. In Illinois, the term “child custody” has been replaced by language that better reflects most parents’ parenting situations. “Parental responsibilities” refers to parents’ decision-making authority while “parenting time” refers to the time a parent spends directly caring for the child. Coronavirus can have a dramatic influence on both of these issues.

Parenting Time and Parental Responsibilities

Between school closures and concerns over the spread of COVID, more children than ever are attending digital classes remotely. Before the age of COVID, most parents of school-aged children did not have to worry about childcare during school hours. However, now that classes are remote, parents may need to figure out how to adapt. If your child is too young to stay home by himself or herself, you and your child’s other parent may need to work out an arrangement regarding who will watch the child and when. This parenting time arrangement may be dramatically different than the arrangement that you made before COVID-related changes.

Modifying Your Parenting Plan

If your current parenting plan no longer works for you and your child’s other parent, you may need to modify the plan through the court. Illinois law states that parenting time may be modified at any time if a modification is needed to serve the child’s best interests. You and your child’s other parent may be able to reach an agreement on your own about how to allocate parenting time. If you are struggling to reach an agreement, your lawyer may be able to help you negotiate a compromise. If you are still unable to reach an agreement, however, the court may step in and make a decision on your behalf. Illinois courts make all parenting time decisions based on what is in the child’s best interests.

Contact a DuPage County Child Custody Lawyer

If you are a parent who is planning to divorce, you and your child’s other parent will need to create a parenting plan that describes how you intend to share parental responsibilities and parenting time. For help creating a parenting plan, modifying an existing parenting plan, enforcing a parenting plan, or for other child custody-related needs, contact NN Legal Group. Wheaton family law attorney Nicolas Nelson has more than 12 years of legal experience and can help you with legal matters related to divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, and more. Call us today at 630-474-0925 to set up a free consultation.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/075000050K610.5.htm