Arizona Child Visitation Guidelines

A Short Guide to Arizona Child Visitation Guidelines

The state of Arizona grants custody rights to both parents only assuming that a number of premises are proven correct. These include that both parents are fit to parent with a desire to do so. Assuming this is true, there are several Arizona child visitation guidelines in place to assist parents in setting up visitation schedules, as continual contact with both parents can be so important to a child’s growth and maturity.

Rules of Arizona Child Visitation Guidelines

These tenants of the Arizona child visitation guidelines are sometimes support by law. They stipulate the rights of each parent and where those rights are curtailed in order to qualify for visitation rights. The Arizona child visitation guidelines include:

• Both parents have access to the child’s medical records, and each should notify the other about any medical treatment.

• Both parents have access to all school records including report cards. Both parents should be notified of parental-interaction events such as parent-teacher conferences.

• It is improper for either parent to discuss their own marital problems with their child. They should not try to turn the child against the other parent.

• No parent should “buy” their child’s affection with gifts.

• No parent should ask their child about the other parent or the child’s activities with the other parent.

• No parent should miss or be late for a visitational appointment. Being more than 15 minutes late for a meeting is unacceptable.

Arizona Child Visitation Guidelines for Visitation Schedules

For very young children, access should be brief and frequent. Up to two hours three days a week is idea for infants. Past six months, alternating weekends from Saturday morning to Sunday night should slowly be worked towards, so that it is normal by three years. One mid-week visit is also normal, but optional, from this point forward. Stretching the weekend out to Monday may also be advised. As children grow older, more personalized visitation arrangements, tailored for heavy adolescent schedules, will be needed.

During summer vacation, the non-custodial parent should get at least 4 weeks of vacation time spent with their child, and that time may be spread out to ten weeks depending on agreements between parents. During such visits, the custodial parent is entitled to non-custodial visitation rights. The only exception is during out-of-the-area vacation travel, of which each parent is entitled to two weeks of during the year with their child and without interruption from the other parent.

Arizona Child Visitation Guidelines of Long Distance Parents

If a parent lives more than 100 miles away from their child, regular weekly contact may become impossible. Longer summer visitation rights may be in order, though again no more than ten weeks. No parent should arrange for summer activities for their child that may infringe on the other parent’s custody rights according to Arizona child visitation guidelines unless the other parent agrees first. Holidays such as spring break also make except times for visits.