What Should I Know About Divorce Involving Children in Illinois?

 Posted on August 20, 2020 in Family Law

If you are a parent who is considering divorce, you are probably concerned about how divorce will affect your children. You may also be unsure of what steps you will need to take to establish child support or arrange a co-parenting schedule. Divorce involving children can often be complicated and emotionally-charged. Fortunately, you do not have to face the divorce process alone. A family law attorney can be a valuable resource during this challenging time in your life.

Creating a Parenting Plan

Divorcing parents in Illinois are asked to create a parenting plan or parenting agreement. In the plan, you will describe how you and your child’s other parent will handle child-related responsibilities. The parenting plan must include:

• A parenting time (visitation) schedule or method for determining a parenting time schedule
• Transportation arrangements for the child
• How you will make important decisions about the child
• Each parents right to be informed of child-related emergencies, healthcare, and other significant concerns
• Information about any future parental relocations
• And several other provisions

Reaching an agreement about all of the elements in your parenting plan may be quite difficult. One option that has helped countless parents resolve child-related disagreements is mediation. During family law mediation, you and your child’s other parent will work with a specially-trained mediator to negotiate parenting issues and reach an agreement that serves your child’s best interests.

Establishing Child Support

In the majority of divorce cases involving parents, a parent is ordered to pay child support. The parent with the majority of the parenting time is the recipient of child support and the other parent pays child support. The amount that payments will be is largely determined by the parents’ net incomes. If each parent has the child at least 146 overnights a year, this is a “shared parenting” arrangement. Because each parent has the child a relatively equal amount of time, child support is reduced accordingly.

Helping Your Child Cope With The Divorce

Children can have a wide range of reactions to divorce. If you and your spouse were obviously unhappy together, it is possible that the divorce may even be a relief to your child. It is also possible that your child will be very upset or angry when he or she learns of the divorce. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to help your child cope with the major changes taking place in his or her life. Experts encourage parents to avoid arguing or discussing legal issues related to the divorce in front of their children. Keeping your child’s routine as close to normal during the transition can also help lessen his or her stress. Above all else, make sure your child knows that he or she is still loved and cared about and that the divorce is not his or her fault.

Contact a Kane County Divorce Lawyer

The experienced St. Charles family law attorneys at Shaw Sanders, P.C. are equipped to help you with matters related to child support, the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, property division, and much more. If you and your spouse are unable to settle divorce issues through negotiation or mediation, we are prepared to represent you during divorce litigation. To learn more, call our office today at 630-584-5550 and schedule a confidential consultation.

Sources:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/children-and-divorce.htm

https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/SiteCollectionDocuments/INCOMESHARESFAQ.pdf