Craig Zotter & Associates

CHILD CUSTODY

There are two main forms of custody, physical and legal. Physical custody is the actual physical possession and control of a child. It refers to the person with whom the child lives.

Full physical custody is when one parent alone has physical custody (the other parent may get visitation). Shared physical custody is both parents share physical custody, with each parent having significant periods of time with the child. When one parent has more tham 50% of the physical custody, they are considered to the prmary custodian. The other parent would be considered to have partial custody. If parents have an equal amount of time, they are considered to have shared custody.

Physical custody can also be supervised, when an agency or another adult monitors the interaction between the parent and child.

Legal custody is the right to make major decisions about the child, which typically include educational, religious, and medical decisions. Legal custody can be sole (given to one parent alone) or shared.