How does the family law court determine child custody and support?
The primary focus of the family law court when determining child custody is the “best interest of the child”. This is the overriding concern of all divorce / family law courts in Arizona. The form of custody can be joint custody or sole custody. On rare occasions, one party may be required to be supervised by an independent third party when visiting the children. As mentioned above, the family law court’s determination of the form of custody is based upon the best interest of the children. Child support is determined by a complex formula that has evolved over many years. The main criteria used to determine child support are the gross incomes of the parents, the amount of time spent with the children and who pays for such things as health insurance, daycare and other necessary services for the benefit of the child/children.
