Custody is one of the two main types of custody.
Custody relates to where the child resides and which parent is responsible for the physical care of the child at certain times. There are several ways to divide custody, including shared custody, primary custody, or sole custody.
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Joint custody
Joint custody is a custody arrangement in which a child divides time between both parents. Usually the timing is the same or very close. For example, the child could live in a parent’s house for a week and then switch houses the next week.
nesting
Nesting is a type of shared custody where the parents move around, not the child. Usually, in a joint custody arrangement, the parents each run their own household and the child moves back and forth. In nesting, the children stay in the family home and one parent moves in for a period of time, then that parent moves out and the other moves in.
Nesting can provide more stability for children and puts parents under the obligation to move every week (or according to another schedule they choose). However, this arrangement may require the parents to maintain three separate households – the family home together and their own separate residence for their leisure time. It may also not work if parents find new partners or have more children in the future.
Primary Custody
Primary custody is another joint custody arrangement, but it differs from joint custody because the child primarily lives with one parent and has regular visits with the other parent.
For example, the child may live with one parent most of the time and spend every second or third weekend with the other parent. Or the child may spend the school year with one parent and the summer with the other. This regulation could also mean that the parent who does not live in the household only takes over the supervision of the child’s visit.
Sole custody
In a sole custody agreement, the children live with only one parent. The other parent may have limited or no visiting rights.
This approach is not very common as courts tend to assume that it is in the child’s best interests to have a relationship with both parents. However, if there are issues such as abandonment, abuse, or neglect, sole custody may be appropriate.
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