California Child Custody and Support

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CALIFORNIA
CHILD CUSTODY and SUPPORT
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When you are going through a divorce as a parent
child custody and support issues are going to
be important.
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• In this presentation we will look at some basic
  information that you need to know.

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CHILD CUSTODY
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• The matter of child custody does not fit under a
  single umbrella.

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There are two distinct types of custody that
must be considered
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Legal Custody
Legal custody is oftentimes going to be shared by
both parents.
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This type of custody gives a parent the power to
make decisions that are relevant to the welfare
of the child.
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• These would include educational and
  health-related decisions.

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Physical Custody
Physical custody is for the most part
self-explanatory. This form of custody involves
the child's physical place of residence.
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With a joint physical custody arrangement the
child would spend a relatively equal amount of
time living with each parent.
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• Primary physical custody would involve the child
  residing with one parent. The other parent would
  generally have visitation rights.

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WHO GETS CUSTODY?
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Custody arrangements can be agreed upon by both
parents with the best interests of the children
in mind.
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• If the parents simply cannot come to an agreement
  the court will be forced to make custody
  decisions.

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CHILD SUPPORT
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Under California law both parents of a child
are responsible for his or her financial support.
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Either party may be required to pay child
support to the other.
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However, in most cases the custodial parent will
be the recipient of child support payments.
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How Is Child Support Calculated?
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The amount of child support that must be paid is
calculated based on a rather complex formula.
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This formula is partially based on the income
that is earned by each individual.
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This formula is partially based on the income
that is earned by each individual.
The other factor is the percentage of time that
the child spends residing with each parent.
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Child Support Agreements
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The divorcing parents can come to a private
agreement with regard to child support payments.
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• However, to protect the well-being of the child
  the court must approve of this agreement.

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This is a very brief overview. If you are going
through a divorce as a parent you would do well
to discuss everything with a licensed attorney.
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Our Walnut Creek divorce attorneys offer free
consultations to people in and around Contra
Costa County.
Our Walnut Creek divorce attorneys offer free
consultations to people in and around Contra
Costa County.
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• Give us a call at [phone] or visit our
  website at www.FamilyLawGroup.com to request an
  appointment.

Give us a call at [phone] or visit our
website at www.FamilyLawGroup.com to request an
appointment.