What To Expect In A Child Custody Case

The direction that child custody cases take will normally depend on the state and county where you live because child custody laws have small variations here and there. However, there are for different options that are available and which help couples determine which parent is going to take the different responsibilities; this will be determined by the type of custody that they or the court will settle on.
Physical Custody: This term refers to the particular parent who will be granted the daily responsibility of taking care of his or her child. The child will live in the home of that parent who is granted physical custody and that parent is totally responsible for the child’s daily upkeep as well as their activities. However, having physical custody doesn’t necessarily mean that the parent has automatically been given legal custody.
Legal Custody: The parent who is given legal custody in child custody cases is granted the responsibility for making any decisions about the child and his or her upbringing. Such a parent is the one who will make decisions regarding where the child will go to school, and whether the child will be given a religious upbringing in church or any other religious organization. They will also be responsible for choosing where the child will receive medical care as well as how the child will be disciplined when the need arises.

Sole Custody: In child custody cases, when all the living arrangements, as well as the child's upbringing, are up to one parent alone, that parent will be said to have been granted sole custody of the child. For example, if a father is granted sole legal custody, he becomes the only parent that is responsible for making decisions which fall under the category of legal custody; these decisions will include all matters to do with medical care, schooling, religion, and discipline. If a mother has sole custody she becomes the only parent who is responsible for the child’s daily activities and all their living conditions.
Joint Custody: Both parents can decide that despite their divorce, they are going to take responsibility regarding the upbringing and the living conditions of their child by working under joint child custody. This category may also refer to the physical or legal custody issues. Joint legal custody is, therefore, the fact that both parents will have the joint responsibilities of making choices and decisions about matters to do with discipline, schooling religion, and medical care as far as the child is concerned. When joint custody is taken, the child could live with the father at some point during the year and the father at another time.