An educational plan is an agreement between the parties regarding the custody and visitation of the minor child. As a rule, the educational plan is developed during mediation, but can be reached at any time during the custody process. Any agreement reached by the parties with respect to custody and visitation will most likely be included in any final court order. First, custody in the justice system is determined by understanding the best interests of the child. Note that the Maryland system strives to treat men and women equally and thinks that most children have time with their mother and father. There are different ways to grant physical and legal custody: even if shared custody is granted, there is no guarantee that there will be no child custody for either party. Sometimes parents are simply not able to come to an agreement, and if so, you should prepare an individual agreement that you can submit to court. You should be prepared to explain how your agreement is best for the child. The court will then rule on the final custody agreement. The court does not favour any of the parents when it comes to custody decisions.

What the court should pay attention to is the “best interests of the child.” This is a fairly broad standard that includes many different factors, such as the character and general fitness of each parent, financial resources, the location of the primary residence, and disability or other medical conditions. The child`s preference can be taken into account, but it is usually not very important, especially in younger children. In principle, the court wants to ensure that the child ends up leading as normal and fulfilling a life as she would have had before the separation of her parents. In most cases, the biological parents of the children – the biological parents, the parents who raised the child or the adoptive parents – obtain custody of the children in the event of divorce or separation. However, in some limited cases, natural parents may be considered unsuitable for parents and it is in the best interests of the child to be raised by a close relative, parent or other person in his or her life. However, apart from these circumstances, grandparents and other close relatives may apply for access, even if they are not granted custody. _______. .