In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Parenting Time Schedule: Plan 12
The plans provided are to act as a guide in developing a parenting time plan that best suites the needs of the child as well as the parents.
They are recommendations, not required methods.
Recommended for children ages 3 to 18 years.
How it Works
The parents would split each week and each weekend.
Example
Vacations
The age of the child should be taken into consideration before setting stipulations on the amount and frequency of vacation taken. At least 30 days before the planned vacation, each parent must give the other parent written notice of the travel dates. At least 3 days before travel, each parent must give detailed information to the other parent, including the places they will be going and how to reach the child or the parent during the vacation.
Holidays
Parents may alternate, share, or split the holidays for children of this age.
This plan should be chosen if
- Both parents have cared for the child about equally
- Both know how to care for the child overnight
- Live close enough to each other that the child will not have long car trips between homes
- Can communicate and cooperate with each other about the well-being of the child
- Parents have been successfully following Plan 11
Advantages
- The child never goes more than 3 days without seeing a parent
- Consistency and predictability each week
- The child can "settle in" at each household for a few days
- Most children enjoy having a full day with each parent every week
Disadvantages
- Neither parent has a full weekend
Item of Note
This plan lets the parents take part about equally in the school life of the child. It provides a consistent routine, allows the child to have a "stay home" day with each parent each week, and accommodates the ability of the child to be apart from either parent. Parents who want full weekends may not like this schedule, but it can be altered for summers and holidays.