How does child visitation work in a Texas divorce case?
Child visitation can be one of the most contentious issues in divorce and custody cases. That’s why the Texas legislature created a visitation schedule – called the Standard Possession Order (SPO) – for parents to follow if they can’t come to a mutual agreement on possession times and days.
When can a non-custodial parent have visitation in South Carolina?
Under an extended standard possession schedule, the non-custodial parent can have visitation on the first, third, and fifth weekends of the month, starting on Thursday at either the time school lets out or 6:00 p.m. and ending on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. or at the time school resumes on Monday morning.
What is the Texas access and visitation hotline?
The Texas Access and Visitation Hotline is the only service of its kind in the nation that provides noncustodial and custodial parents with free phone access to parenting time specialists who provide legal information related to child custody and visitation issues, as well as paternity and child support information.
What time does the child visit start on a weekend?
If the child has a school holiday the Friday before a weekend visit, the visit starts on Thursday at 6 p.m. If the child has a school holiday the Monday after a weekend visit, the visit is extended until Monday at 6 p.m. This chart shows which parent gets possession of the child on special occasions, under the standard order:
What is the Texas Access and Visitation Hotline?
What is access and visitation directory?
What is the Attorney General's Access and Visitation Program?
Can the Attorney General modify custody orders?
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About this website
Enforcement of Visitation | Texas Access
Hotline Information. To speak with a parenting time specialist on our toll free telephone hotline, please call (866) 292-4636 Monday - Friday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Central time.
Child Visitation & Possession Orders | Texas Law Help
In Texas, the law presumes that the Standard Possession Order is in the best interest of a child age three or older. See Texas Family Code 153.252.. The Standard Possession Order says that the parents may have possession of the child whenever they both agree.. The Standard Possession Order says that if the parents don’t agree, the noncustodial parent has the right to possession of the child ...
Child Custody and Support - Guides at Texas State Law Library
Disclaimer: The State Law Library cannot tell you what a law means for your situation. Please contact an attorney for help determining what the law means for you. If you have questions or need help finding resources, please ask a librarian.
Child Support Forms | Office of the Attorney General
These forms allow parents, families, and employers to provide the Child Support Division with additional information so we can better serve you. All child support forms are categorized and linked below as downloadable files. Select the category you need to see the corresponding forms.
When does a child's school visit start?
to 8 p.m. If the child has a school holiday the Friday before a weekend visit, the visit starts on Thursday at 6 p.m. If the child has a school holiday the Monday after a weekend visit, the visit is extended until Monday at 6 p.m.
What does Texas use instead of physical custody?
Texas uses the terms "possession" and "access" instead of " physical custody " and "visitation," respsectively.
What is possession and access schedule?
A possession and access schedule lays out how a separated family will divide parenting time. It's one element in a parenting plan. Judges will approve any possession schedule parents agree on, as long as it's in the best interest of the child. If parents cannot agree on a suitable schedule, judges usually award the standard possession order ...
What does SPO mean in Texas?
Don't be confused by the language in the Texas standard possession order (SPO). It uses the word "managing conservator" to mean "custodial conservator" and "possessory" to mean "noncustodial.". Some judges prefer you use the SPO terminology if you write your own possession order.
What happens if my proposal becomes a court order?
However, the written version will be what the court enforces if your proposal becomes a court order. If you and the other parent agree, you will submit your possession schedule to the court for approval, along with your other closing forms, when you go to court to settle.
When does a parent have possession of a child?
The noncustodial parent has possession of the child: Every 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekend from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Sunday. Every Thursday during the school year from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
How many days does a child spend with each parent?
The 2-2-5-5 schedule is also used by many families. The child spends two days with each parent, then five days with each parent. Then the cycle repeats. Keep in mind that you'll need provisions for times when the regular schedule doesn't make sense.
What is the Texas Access and Visitation Hotline?
The Texas Access and Visitation Hotline is the only service of its kind in the nation that provides noncustodial and custodial parents with free phone access to parenting time specialists who provide legal information related to child custody and visitation issues, as well as paternity and child support information.
What is access and visitation directory?
The Access and Visitation Directory is an online collection of helpful community services for families who are parenting together but living apart. The directory includes local providers for services including mediation, co-parenting education, counseling, supervised visitation and development of parenting plans.
What is the Attorney General's Access and Visitation Program?
The Office of the Attorney General’s Access & Visitation program is designed to help noncustodial parents establish and maintain active parental relationships with their children. This service is funded in part through the Federal Parental Access and Visitation (AV) Grant Program.
Can the Attorney General modify custody orders?
Federal regulations do not allow the Office of the Attorney General to use child support funding to modify or enforce custody or visitation orders. However, the OAG does receive special funding to provide access and visitation services through local organizations.
How often do you need to update visitation information for a prisoner?
The visitation information provided through the link below is updated once daily during weekdays and multiple times per day on visitation days. Visitors should call the unit for final confirmation before traveling to the unit.
Why is visitation important?
Visitation plays an important role in maintaining the association between inmates and their friends and family as well as strengthening family ties.
What is the TDCJ hotline?
TDCJ Visitation Hotline: Members of the public may call this line inquire about inmate location, basic visitation policy questions, unit family liaison officer information, and how to appeal a visitation denial. The hotline will be open Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at (936) 437-4927 or toll free at (844) 476-1289.
How to appeal a visit to the Huntsville jail?
Individuals who have been removed from an inmate's Visitors List can submit a written appeal to the Director's Review Committee (DRC), P.O. Box 99, Huntsville, TX 77342. The appeal must be submitted within 14 days of the date on the written notice of removal from the unit.
Where do spiritual visits need to be coordinated?
Spiritual visits must be coordinated through the warden’s office.
Can an inmate receive visitors if visitation has been cancelled?
An eligible inmate cannot receive visitors if visitation has been cancelled. Unit wide visitation cancelations are posted on the TDCJ homepage at www.tdcj.texas.gov. Verify you are an approved visitor. If you are unsure, you may contact the unit for verification. Click here for a list of unit phone numbers.
What is a custody agreement in Texas?
In Texas, what is commonly referred to as a “custody agreement” is, in fact, called a possession order. The Texas Family Code provides for setting up possession schedules and includes a provision for a Standard Possession Order (SPO), designating who gets the kids and on what weekends. Courts look at what is in the best interest ...
What is conservatorship in Texas?
In Texas, you may hear attorneys and judges use the words “possession” and “conservatorship,” when discussing child custody matters. Here, child custody is called conservatorship and the periods of time you have your child is called possession (or alternatively, visitation). Texas law presumes you and your spouse will be “joint managing ...
How long is spring break?
A longer period of time in the summer (generally 30 days). Spring break alternates just like the holidays. For the parents who live more than 100 miles of one another, the noncustodial has the children: Either the first, third, and fifth weekend, or in some cases, just one weekend per month.
What happens to the child in an even numbered year?
In even-numbered years, the non-possessory conservator, or custodial parent, has the child for the second half of the break and the possessory conservator has the child for the first half. On odd years, this schedule switches.
What is an agreed parenting plan?
To be enforced by the court, an agreed parenting plan must 1) be in the best interest of the child and 2) be detailed.
What time does a possessory conservator have possession of a child?
Similar to Christmas, Thanksgiving schedules are based on the year. In odd-numbered years, the possessory conservator has possession of the child beginning at 6 p.m. on the day the child is dismissed from school for Thanksgiving break until 6 p.m. the following Sunday.
What is a possession order in Texas?
The Texas Standard Possession Order operates as a default schedule for parents, dictating in detail when each parent has possession of the child. In Texas, for parents who reside 100 miles or less apart, the Standard Possession Order gives the possessory conservator (the non-custodial parent) possession of the child on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th weekends throughout the year beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday and ending at 6 p.m. the following Sunday, as well as Thursdays of each week during the school year beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m.
What is the Texas Access and Visitation Hotline?
The Texas Access and Visitation Hotline is the only service of its kind in the nation that provides noncustodial and custodial parents with free phone access to parenting time specialists who provide legal information related to child custody and visitation issues, as well as paternity and child support information.
What is access and visitation directory?
The Access and Visitation Directory is an online collection of helpful community services for families who are parenting together but living apart. The directory includes local providers for services including mediation, co-parenting education, counseling, supervised visitation and development of parenting plans.
What is the Attorney General's Access and Visitation Program?
The Office of the Attorney General’s Access & Visitation program is designed to help noncustodial parents establish and maintain active parental relationships with their children. This service is funded in part through the Federal Parental Access and Visitation (AV) Grant Program.
Can the Attorney General modify custody orders?
Federal regulations do not allow the Office of the Attorney General to use child support funding to modify or enforce custody or visitation orders. However, the OAG does receive special funding to provide access and visitation services through local organizations.
Possession and Access Terminology
Making Your Own Possession and Access Schedule
- You can make a customized possession and access schedule to propose to the other parent, to present to your judge, or to submit to the court when you settle. Start by looking at common custody schedulesfor ideas. One frequently-used option is the 4-3 schedule, where the child spends four days a week with one parent and three days with the other. The 2-2-5-5 schedule is …
Standard Possession and Access Orders
- When parents can't agree on a schedule and their child is at least 3 years old, a judge will usually award the Texas standard possession order (SPO) or extended standard possession order — unless a parent convinces the judge this isn't in the child's best interest. Parents can also opt to use the SPO or extended SPO in a settlement. The standard orders give what the state consider…
Other Possession Orders
- While the standard possession order is designed to work for most cases, judges recognize that it doesn't fit every family perfectly. They have discretion to award a different possession order when necessary. Below are a few ways a judge might depart from the standard possession order.
Electronic Communication
- A parent can request electronic communication with their child in addition to periods of possession. Electronic communication might be via email, voice calling, video calling, text messaging or instant messaging. The court will consider whether electronic communication is in the best interest of the child and whether the necessary equipment is reasonably available to ev…
The Easiest Way to Make A Schedule
- If you're like most parents, writing a possession and access schedule will feel daunting. How do you write something that meets legal requirements and doesn't leave any loose ends? The Custody X Change app makes it easy. First, click and drag in your color-coded calendar. The written description is what the court will enforce if your schedule becomes a court order. Take a…
Grants to Local Service Providers
- Currently, the program funds several programs located throughout the state of Texas that provide parenting time assistance to noncustodial parents, custodial parents and their families. The services provided under these contracts include early intervention, co-parenting education, mediation, development of parenting plans and visitation enforcement. including monitoring, su…
Texas Access and Visitation Hotline
- The Texas Access and Visitation Hotline is the only service of its kind in the nation that provides noncustodial and custodial parents with free phone access to parenting time specialists who provide legal information related to child custody and visitation issues, as well as paternity and child support information. The toll-free number 866-292-463...
Access and Visitation Directory
- The Access and Visitation Directory is an online collection of helpful community services for families who are parenting together but living apart. The directory includes local providers for services including mediation, co-parenting education, counseling, supervised visitation and development of parenting plans. You can search the directory by services offered or search by l…
My Sticker Calendar
- Parents establishing child support orders or seeking Access and Visitation services receive a My Sticker Calendar: A Kid's Guide to Shared Family Time. Learn more about the My Sticker Calendar