Legal Definitions - custodial responsibility

Definition: Custodial responsibility refers to the physical custody and supervision of a child, including overnight responsibility. This includes visitation and different types of custody, such as sole, joint, and shared custody. Both parents share responsibility for the child, regardless of the amount of time they spend with the child.

Examples:

• Physical custody: This refers to where the child lives and who takes care of them on a day-to-day basis. For example, if a child lives with their mother during the week and spends weekends with their father, the mother has physical custody during the week and the father has physical custody on weekends.
• Joint custody: This is an arrangement where both parents share responsibility for the child's upbringing and decision-making, even if one parent has primary physical custody. For example, both parents may have equal say in decisions about the child's education, healthcare, and religion.
• Sole custody: This is an arrangement where one parent has full control and decision-making responsibility for the child, to the exclusion of the other parent. For example, if a court determines that one parent is unfit to care for the child, the other parent may be awarded sole custody.

These examples illustrate how custodial responsibility can take different forms depending on the specific circumstances of the child and their parents. Custodial responsibility is an important aspect of family law, as it determines who is responsible for the care and upbringing of a child.