What are the key issues related to child custody and visitation rights?

There are a few key issues related to placement that are core to making decisions that best serve the children’s best interests.

• Who has physical custody of the children, the father or the mother?  Will it be sole or joint custody?  This defines who the children live with.  The parent with custodial rights will gain certain financial tax advantages that the non-custodial parent will forego.
• What will be the placement and visitation arrangement?  Placement refers to the time periods that each parent has the children.  Visitation is determined for the non-custodial parent during the custodial parent’s time. 
• Who has legal custody of the children (sole legal custody or shared legal custody)?   The parent(s) with legal custody makes decisions relating to the children’s health, welfare, education.  

In many states, these custody and placement decisions are a factor in the child support calculation.