What Rights Do Non-Custodial Parents Have?
child’s life. Ideally, a 50/50 joint physical custody should be presumed by Family Law. Until such a time, however, the system can feel like it exists to spite the non-custodial parent. Such parents do indeed have inalienable rights with their children, except in cases where significant abuse or neglect has been proved. They have the right to visit their children, and according to a set schedule. Such consistency of routine is also, invariably, beneficial to the children. Non-custodial parents also have the right to holiday time, to access their children’s school and medical records, and to pay child support in an amount that fairly reflects what they’re able to earn. Unfortunately, most of these rights can be difficult to enforce – for two reasons. First, the laws are ambiguous in a lot of areas, and secondly, the wording of parents’ divorce agreements may be too vague to hold substantial weight in court. Whatever is written in a court order pertaining to custody – whether it’s called
