ARKANSAS CHILD CUSTODY LAWS & REGULATIONS UPDATE 2023
A DECADE OF CHANGE: AN OVERVIEW OF ARKANSAS’S CHILD CUSTODY LAWS AND REGULATIONS TIMELINE (2013-2023)
In the past ten years, Arkansas’s child custody laws and regulations have experienced significant updates, reflecting the state’s dedication to ensuring the best interests of children involved in custody disputes. This article outlines key changes in Arkansas’s child custody laws and regulations from 2013 to 2023.
2013: Child’s Best Interests Standard
– Adoption of the child’s best interests standard as the central consideration in custody decisions.
2014: Joint Custody Encouragement
– Encouragement of joint custody arrangements to promote active parental involvement.
2015: Parenting Plans Mandate
– Introduction of mandatory parenting plans outlining custody, visitation, and support arrangements.
2016: Child’s Wishes Consideration
– Consideration of the child’s preferences in custody determinations, based on age and maturity.
2017: Grandparent Visitation Recognition
– Recognition of grandparent visitation rights in custody proceedings.
2018: Domestic Violence Protection
– Strengthened provisions to protect children from exposure to domestic violence.
2019: Mediation Promotion
– Promotion of mediation to resolve custody disputes amicably.
2020: Virtual Visitation Acknowledgment
– Acknowledgment of virtual visitation as a valid means for non-custodial parents to interact with their child.
2021: Military Deployment Consideration
– Consideration of military deployment’s impact on custody arrangements.
2022: Child Support Alignment
– Alignment of child custody and child support procedures for consistency.
2023: Relocation Guidelines
– Introduction of guidelines for parents seeking to relocate with their child, ensuring stability.
Arkansas’s ongoing efforts to enhance child custody laws demonstrate the state’s commitment to the well-being of children and families. Staying informed about these changes is essential for parents and legal practitioners navigating custody matters.
Guide to Child Custody Laws in Arkansas
Arkansas parents who are seeking custody of their children may be overwhelmed by the information available on the web. Understanding child custody laws in Arkansas is critical for getting what you want from the family court, but you may not know where to begin. This guide will act as an overview of the laws the family court will abide by, and by the time you have finished reading, you will understand better some of the terminology and concepts used by the state. This basic knowledge of child custody laws in Arkansas will allow you to seek out more in-depth information more easily.
Misconceptions about Child Custody Laws in Arkansas
Every state’s child custody laws are different, and many people have mistaken ideas about what the laws say. For instance, an old doctrine called the “tender years doctrine” used to give all young children to their mothers unless the mother was unfit. Today’s child custody laws in Arkansas, contrary to what some people believe, give no preference to either the father or the mother. Mothers still win custody cases more often, but only because they have been the primary caregiver more frequently. If a father is a primary caregiver to a child, he will often be awarded custody.
Some people also believe that children’s opinions on where they should live will be taken into account by the courts. Child custody laws in Arkansas are based strictly on the best interest of the child, and do not take the child’s own wishes into account but rather the parenting abilities of each parent and their likelihood of keeping a child safe and happy.
Parenting Plans and Custody Agreements
Children can be traumatized by intense parental disputes, so Arkansas courts prefer that parents work together to create a parenting plan and custody agreement that is acceptable to both parents and the court. While judges have the legal ability to alter a parenting plan you have drafted, this is unlikely unless it is perceived to be wildly unfair.
If you and your spouse cannot come to an agreement on your own, you may be ordered by the family court judge to attend mediation. A trained mediator will keep both parents focused on the important issues at hand, rather than getting distracted by emotions that aren’t relevant to developing a parenting plan.
Legal Custody vs. Physical Custody
Two kinds of custody exist in Arkansas: legal custody, which refers to the ability to make major life decisions for a child, and physical custody. While child custody laws in Arkansas assume that joint legal custody is preferable for children in the absence of evidence to the contrary, physical custody is often awarded primarily to one parent.
What this means is that while all major decisions about health, education, and religion must be made jointly by both parents, the child will live most of the time with just one parent, rather than splitting time equally. Courts often feel that it would be difficult for a child to deal with an even split, so one parent may be awarded increased visitation in the summer while the other has primary physical custody and spends the vast majority of the school year with the child.
