What do Child Contact Arrangements Typically Look Like?

Making child contact arrangements following a separation or divorce is often stressful and logistically taxing. Depending on the state of your relationship with your ex-partner, you may reach an agreement quickly and amicably. For conflicting parents, however, legal assistance is often required to reach an agreement.

For parents without custody of their children, the duration and frequency of contact time can vary widely. Typical visitation periods last anywhere from a few hours to several weeks. Parents who move abroad or have highly demanding jobs, for example, may not be able to see their child as much as those who remain local.

If they are old enough to make decisions for themselves, you may wish to prioritise your child’s preferences about where they reside. Many children enjoy spending a night or two a week at their non-resident parent’s house, for example, while others prefer to keep visitation periods to daytime hours.

Ultimately, typical child contact arrangements fit around parental commitments and financial practicalities. If your child is still relatively young, these arrangements are likely to change over time.

Common forms of child contact agreement

Here are a few examples of typical child contact arrangements to help guide your decisions:

Sole residency

Often, the children of separated parents live with either their mother or father at a primary residence. This parent has custody, whilst the other can spend time with the child at intervals set out in a contact agreement. While mothers still make up the overwhelming majority of resident parents, the number of fathers taking sole residency responsibilities is rising.

This custody arrangement remains one of the most popular as it provides children with a sense of stability and security, benefits that are fundamental to healthy emotional development. For some parents, however, sole residency arrangements are unfeasible as they prevent the non-resident parent from enjoying a close relationship with their child.

Joint residency

Joint residency agreements involve the child splitting their time between both parents and moving between residencies regularly. Such arrangements are not particularly common in the UK, but they are becoming more popular as fathers adopt an increasingly active role in their children’s lives.

Joint residency arrangements are often preferable in cases where children have a strong relationship with both parents. They are also great for working parents hoping to juggle professional responsibilities with child-rearing responsibilities.

Practically speaking, however, joint residency arrangements can cause difficulties and disputes. Successfully navigating shared custody involves meticulous planning, with parents having to communicate regularly about domestic tasks such as washing uniforms or signing forms for school trips. In this way, an amicable relationship between both parents is a must.

Bird’s nest arrangements

With a bird’s nest arrangement, the child in question remains in the family home, while both parents move between this primary residency and a smaller property. This form of parenting represents a child-first approach to separation as it reduces much of the stress young people feel when moving to a new home.

While bird’s nest parenting can be hugely beneficial to children, it can take a financial and emotional toll on parents. Moving between two properties on a weekly or monthly basis can be tiring and unsettling and can sometimes stoke resentments between ex-partners.

Flexible solutions

The aforementioned arrangements don’t have to be set in stone. Sometimes, a combination of sole and joint residency solutions is implemented to align with parents’ schedules and commitments. As such, the amount of time a child spends with each parent from week to week could vary widely.

Flexible arrangements often suit parents whose jobs involve lots of travel or complicated shift patterns. It worth bearing in mind, however, that the unpredictability of this form of parenting can be disorienting and upsetting for younger children.

Organising contact around school commitments

During term-time, non-resident parents sometimes reduce contact time to ensure their child can focus on their schoolwork, attend after-school activities, and maintain a regular sleeping pattern. Possible solutions include an arrangement whereby the child stays overnight with the non-resident parent on alternate weekends.

The agreement could involve school-drop offs and pick-ups to ensure the non-resident parent enjoys as much time as possible with their child.

If overnight stays are out of the question due to work commitments or other practicalities, the arrangement could involve a few hours of contact time every week with the non-resident parent.

Organising contact around school holidays 

School holidays represent an opportunity for parents to enjoy more flexible residency arrangements. If a non-resident parent wishes to spend more time with their child while they’re off school, however, it is important to arrange plans in advance.

If possible, try to spread contact time out equally between parents. It is also important to discuss whether either parent wishes to take the child abroad at any point. If one parent does not agree to the other taking the child on holiday, the former may require permission from the courts to go ahead with their plans.

Celebrating special occasions

Making arrangements for special occasions such as Christmas, birthdays, or Easter can be difficult. Possible solutions could involve alternating where the child spends their time from year to year or arranging two Christmases – one on Christmas Day and one on Boxing Day.

Struggling to reach a child contact agreement? Austin Kemp is here to help 

If you’ve recently separated from a partner and want to discuss your child contact arrangements with a trained legal professional, do not hesitate to reach out to Austin Kemp. We offer discreet legal services for high-net-worth individuals experiencing child custody disputes. Whatever your situation, our highly qualified experts are on hand to listen and work towards your desired outcome. Get in touch today to arrange a consultation.