What Are Parental Rights and Responsibilities?

 Posted on October 25, 2023 in Child Custody

During an Illinois divorce, parental rights and responsibilities must be allocated. This means that each parent must be assigned specific responsibilities toward their children. Parental responsibilities include making important decisions about the child’s upbringing and spending time with them. The list of parental rights and responsibilities assigned to each parent will be included in a parenting plan. Every set of parents who get divorced in Illinois must have a fairly comprehensive plan for co-parenting that covers things like which parent will see the child and when, and who is tasked with making different decisions. Most parents are able to establish a parenting plan and allocate responsibilities by agreement with the help of a mediator. Others may need to go to Court and have a Judge help allocate parental responsibilities. Your lawyer can help you determine what types of responsibilities must be accounted for in your particular case. 

What Responsibilities Should be Addressed in a Parenting Plan? 

There are quite a few different parental rights and responsibilities that will need to be addressed during divorce. Types of parental rights you may need to address during your divorce include: 

• Childcare - One of the most important parts of a parenting plan is a schedule for when each parent will be physically caring for the children. This might be referred to as the “allocation of parenting time,” or simply a “custody schedule.” Consider each parent’s work schedule, the children’s needs, and anything else that is important for your family.
• Medical consent - One or both parents will need to be allocated the responsibility of making medical decisions and consenting to treatment on the child’s behalf. This usually includes decisions about mental health care. 
• Education - Making provisions regarding your child’s education and each parent’s contribution is a factor. Which parent should decide where the child attends school? Will both parents share the cost of a college education or private school? 
• Child support - This is a critical part of the divorce process, as to how each parent will contribute financially to the child’s expenses. Usually, this means that one parent will need to pay child support, but this arrangement may not make sense if you share parenting time 50/50. 
• Religious training - Will the child be raised in a particular faith? Should one or both parents be able to take the child to religious services? Parents should determine whether one or both of them should have a responsibility to further the child’s religious training. 

These are only a few of the many, many, parental responsibilities you may need to allocate during your divorce. 

Contact a Barrington, IL, Family Law Attorney

The Law Office of Nicholas W. Richardson, P.C. is committed to helping parents make the best parenting plans for their families. Attorney Richardson, a notable Northwest Cook County divorce lawyer, is thorough in making detailed parenting plans. Contact us at 847.873.6741 for a free consultation.