Child Custody for Working Parents in California

Can My Work Schedule Impact Child Custody?

Determining what child custody arrangement is best for your family can be difficult. One common issue is child custody for working parents. This can be true whether the work schedule(s) involved are traditional (i.e. Monday-Friday) or non-traditional (i.e. night work or weekend shifts).

Can I Lose Child Custody Because of My Work Schedule?

Your child’s best interest, not your line of work, determines custody. The court may indeed consider your work schedule, but it is only one of many factors that are part of a custody decision.

California Family Courts are not in the practice of denying child custody based on when parents work or what they do for a living as long as it does not negatively affect the children. In fact, the courts are generally in favor of protecting any arrangement that allows the child to maintain a relationship with both parents.

Can I Get Custody of My Child Even Though I Work?

In considering the best interests of the child, the court will typically weigh the benefit of consistency and routine for the child with other factors, such as the importance of having a good relationship with each parent and being able to see each parent on a regular basis, even if it is not on the same days each week.

Child Custody for Working Parents Schedules

Can Child Custody Be Arranged Around My Work Schedule?

Children thrive on routine and their schedules should be predictable and consistent. However, that does not mean a parenting schedule cannot be tailored to work around a parent’s work schedule, provided it is in the children’s best interest. The courts recognize the value of parenting time with children and can create a plan that will take into account a parent’s work schedule.

The best approaches will address the specific needs of the family involved. Many options have the potential to work as long as the focus remains on what is best for the child. A child does not need to have the exact same routine in both homes, but maintaining a sense of consistency with their schedule can provide the sense of stability that greatly benefits them.

Child Custody Can be Impacted by a Busy Work Schedule

While a busy work schedule is a great way to help you maintain financial stability and ensure continued professional growth, the unfortunate reality is that family law courts might not view your dedication to work quite so favorably.

There are a variety of factors that come into play when a family law court hands down any decision relating to child custody and visitation. This post examines how the courts assess parents who work a lot or have a very involved professional life.

Flexible Parenting Time for Non-Traditional Work Schedules

Flexibility is necessary to make a parenting time schedule work in a situation where at least one of the parents’ works a non-traditional work schedule. This approach allows both parents to change parenting time based on their work schedule as often as necessary. However, a flexible schedule is not generally appropriate for high-conflict cases.

How Your Work Schedule Can Impact Child Custody in California

Family law courts will always prioritize decisions that are in the best interests of the child. What this means is that they’ll examine factors such as each parent’s ability to provide for the child’s needs, the relationship that the child has with each parent, the environment at each home, and other ways in which a parent is able to fulfill all physical and emotional needs.

This means that an unavailable parent, or one who is always away at work, could be regarded in a negative light that favors a parent who works less and is always “around.”

As a busy and overworked parent, proving that you are able to provide and be available to your child can be an uphill battle in California. That said, if you’re able to effectively demonstrate that your work schedule does not interfere with your parental duties in any way, you can effectively circumvent this issue. Remember, the courts aren’t looking to penalize working parents.

California’s family law procedures are complex and trying to navigate them without help of a California family lawyer can be frustrating. If you have questions about family law procedures, contact our accomplished and dedicated family law, divorce, and child custody lawyers by calling (909) 966-5245 or contact us online for a free consultation with our experienced family law attorney, Ron Talkov, who can guide you through the court process in a prompt and clear manner.