Child Custody (Parenting Responsibility)

In Colorado, the terminology “child custody” and “visitation” no longer apply. The phrase “child custody” has been replaced by “parenting responsibility,” which is broken into two separate areas, decision-making and parenting time. Decision making involves how major decisions regarding a minor child will be made such as religious, medical and school activities. Parenting time involves the amount of time the child will spend with each parent, including vacation and holiday parenting time.
A parenting plan is also a common term used in family law proceedings. A parenting plan is the formal legal document that incorporates and memorializes the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time arrangements into a formal legal document, which is ultimately adopted as an order of the court.

The parties are then obligated to follow the terms and provisions contained in their parenting plan. If a party’s circumstances change or another statutory criteria is met, either party may move to have the terms and provisions of the parenting plan modified.