A parenting plan is only as good as the arguments it prevents. Most plans cover the schedule and stop. Here is the fuller list.
Living arrangements
- The term-time schedule, night by night
- Handover times, places, and who travels
- What travels with the children (bags, kit, medication, comfort items)
- Late-arrival rules and how much notice a change needs
- What happens if a parent is more than 30 minutes late
Holidays and special days
- School holiday rotation, by odd and even years
- Summer blocks and the deadline for nominating weeks
- Birthdays, the children's and the parents'
- Religious and cultural holidays
- Mother's Day and Father's Day
- Foreign travel: notice period, consent, passports, who holds them
Health
- Which parent registers with the GP or paediatrician
- Who books routine appointments
- How medical decisions get made and what counts as an emergency
- How medication travels between homes
- Sharing of any therapy or diagnosis information
Education
- Which school, and who has decision-making authority on changing it
- Who attends parents' evenings and how information is shared
- Homework expectations in each home
- Both parents on the school's contact list
- Who pays for trips, uniform and equipment
Money
- Child support amount and payment date
- The shared-expense list and split percentage
- The pre-approval threshold for large purchases
- How and when balances get settled
Day-to-day parenting
- Screen-time and bedtime expectations across both homes
- Rules on new partners meeting the children, and how much notice
- Introducing pets, moves, and other big household changes
- Social media and photographs of the children
Communication
- The single channel, and the expected response time
- How disputes get resolved before anyone files anything, mediation first, court last
Two more things worth adding
A review date. Annually, and automatically on any school change.
A relocation clause. How much notice before either parent moves more than an agreed distance. This is the single most common reason plans end up back in court.
Take the completed list to a mediator or a lawyer for review before you sign. An hour of professional time on a document that governs the next decade is a good trade.