Child Visitation With Non-Traditional Work Schedules

Child visitation with Non-Traditional work schedules in Tulsa family court is a common issue. Work schedules often determine parenting plans. The visitation schedule must work around the work schedules for the parents to be able to spend time with their child. However, with work schedules that change or that are non-traditional, this can get a little more complicated. The reality is that many parents are able to work out their visitation issues. Sometimes though all efforts fail and a family law attorney is necessary.

Non-Traditional Schedules Explained

A non-traditional schedule is a schedule that’s anything other than the standard 9-5 workday, or close to it. Many professions, such as doctors, firefighters, and police officers, have non-traditional or rotating shifts, which can make creating a visitation schedule more difficult. This also applies to those who work offshore or others who work one week on and one week off.

Those who have a non-traditional schedule, no matter what field they work in, may have set hours outside of the traditional hours, like nurses who work overnight shifts, or may have shifts that change. Regular changes are easier to account for because the new schedule is known far in advance. When this isn’t possible, visitation and custody can become more difficult to plan for, but it can still be done.

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The Impact of Changing Work Schedules

The impact will depend on the schedule itself, as many times, it does mean that an equal split of time is not possible. It should not mean the person can’t have joint physical custody, but it can impact how much time the parent has. Non-traditional schedules have traditionally impacted visitation significantly, but as these schedules become more common, they’re becoming easier to accommodate. Accommodations will depend on exactly what the schedule is and how frequently it changes.

Creating a Visitation Schedule that Works

With non-traditional schedules, creating a visitation schedule may be more difficult, but it’s not impossible. The most common visitation schedules likely won’t work, especially for those who work one wee on and one week off. In these cases, it might be better to suggest custody during the week off and give the week on to the other parent. In other cases where the worker has three longer shifts or is on-call for certain parts of the week, working around that to create a visitation schedule may be necessary.

It is crucial to be as flexible as possible, for both parents, when determining a visitation schedule around non-traditional work. With set schedules, it can be easier to determine something that will work for both parents and minimize the time the child spends in childcare while they are with one parent. Changing schedules will require even more flexibility as the parents will need to adjust visitation as the schedule changes.

Non-traditional work schedules may make determining a visitation plan more difficult, but it’s not impossible for parents to still be able to spend time with the child. Flexibility is going to be necessary for both parents, though a plan can be created that takes the non-traditional schedule into account. If you have a non-traditional work schedule and are worried about creating a visitation plan, speak with a lawyer today to get advice on what a visitation schedule might look like for you.

Tulsa Child Visitation Lawyers

If you’re facing problems with child visitation with Non-Traditional work schedules we can help. The visitation schedule needs to be flexible with the drop off and pickup of the kids to go smooth. In the event that you’ve put an order for custody and visitation in place and the child visitation with Non-Traditional work schedules isn’t working out you can modify the original custody and visitation order. Get a free no obligation consultation 918.743.2233