Child Support | Money that one parent gives the other parent to help pay for the things that their children need. |
Divorce | A legal process two people go through to end their marriage. |
Marriage | A legal agreement that allows two people to live together in a legal union. |
Mediation | A process for resolving conflicts between people where a neutral professional tries to help find a solution that meets everyone's needs. |
Mediator | A person who has been specially trained to act as a neutral third party in helping people resolve conflicts. Parents can hire a “private mediator” or use court mediators. |
Parental Rights and Responsibilities |
How parents make major decisions about their children’s health, education, and welfare. Can be “shared” (parents have shared responsibilities) or “sole” (one parent has the responsibility alone) or “allocated” (each parent has specific responsibilities). |
Parent-Child Contact | The time children spend with the parent who does not provide the “primary residence.” Some people refer to this as “parenting time.” (Some states use the word “visitation,” but Connecticut law does not use that term.) |
Residence | Where the child lives. Often the child lives with one parent most of the time. This is the “primary residence.” The other parent’s home can become the “non-primary residence.” Sometimes this is shared equally, called “shared residence.” |
Separation | When two people stop living together. |
Shared Parental Rights | This can mean a number of different things. A common example is when the children live part of the time with one parent and part of the time with the other parent with both parents making parental decisions. |
Sole Parental Rights | One parent has the responsibility of caring for the child. |