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.
Please describe legal decision making and parenting time (custody).
Legal decision making and parenting time is most known as child custody. As part of the divorce process, parents or the judge will decide if major decisions regarding the health, education, and religion of the children can be made by one or both parents; this is called legal decision making (LDM).
Parenting time is how often the child or children spend their time with their divorced parents. In most cases, the court will require that the children spend time with each parent after the divorce. Parenting plans are often decided by the age of the child or children, school schedules, location of the parent, and parent situations.
Resources:
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Things to Know About Legal Decision-Making and Parenting Time
(491 KB)