As a parent concerned about the coronavirus outbreak, safeguarding your child’s health is one of your main priorities. For those who are co-parenting with an ex, the global pandemic has only created more challenges to an already stressful situation. Working together with your former spouse is hard enough, now you have the added pressure of COVID-19 disrupting your custody arrangement. Below, we’ll go over the best ways to navigate co-parenting during these uncertain times.
For urgent matters, do not hesitate to contact one of our child custody attorneys. We are available for virtual consultations over the phone or video chat to assist families with their cases.
Alternate Custody Arrangements
With a statewide order to Stay at Home whenever possible, you may be wondering if that means parenting exchanges are suspended. Your current custody agreement is a court order, meaning parenting plans should be continued under the mandate.
Understandably, you may have concerns over transporting your child from one place to another. You and your ex may be on the same page about this, and you can both work out a temporary custody arrangement. Here are a few examples of what that looks like:
Postpone parenting time until a later date
Make up for lost time with daily calls through FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom
Continue communication by sending text messages, letters, and cards
Keep in mind that honest dialogue and collaboration are critical right now, and that will be the best way to co-parent successfully. Though we are aware that many of you may experience pushback and resolving these issues on your own may be impossible. In these cases, you may want to explore the legal route.
Emergency Child Custody Orders
You should not withhold parenting time as it could lead to serious legal consequences, but there are other options. If you have valid concerns about your child’s health and safety, an attorney can help you obtain an emergency child custody order or parenting time restriction. This should be considered after you’ve attempted to reach a temporary arrangement.
Work with an experienced family law firm, who will treat you like family. Contact Drexler Law at (719) 259-0050 to get started with your virtual case evaluation.
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