How to Schedule Parental Visitation Rights in Ohio
- 1). Create a schedule conducive to spending time with the child. You may need to iron out a work schedule which better accommodates visitation opportunities. Also, establish proper living arrangements, such as renting a two-bedroom apartment, if you plan to have your child more than one day a week.
- 2). Negotiate with the other parent. Spend time working out a schedule. For example, the other parent may agree to you taking the child every other weekend and twice during the week.
- 3). Write the schedule out. You may have to submit it to the court if you have an ongoing custody case in the state. Ohio considers any mediation report (or schedule) created outside of court or a divorce decree under the guidelines of Revised Code section 3109.052.
- 4). Follow the visitation schedule. Pick up your child when scheduled.
- 1). Understand what an Ohio judge takes into consideration when determining visitation. A judge works under the purview of Ohio Revised Code sections 310.11 or 3100.12. The factors outlined in the code include prior interaction with the child, the age of the child and the parent's available time. The judge considers those factors when determining what type of visitation schedule is in the child's best interest.
- 2). Petition the court to schedule visitation. File a petition with your local Ohio county court when you and the other parent can’t agree on a schedule or when the other parent is not following the negotiated schedule. You can also file for visitation at the same time you file for divorce or separation.
- 3). Try to negotiate with the parent. The court may order you to try to mediate an agreement between the two of you.
- 4). Attend a hearing. You may have to testify in court before a judge regarding why he should provide a visitation schedule.