What is sole custody?

 Posted on October 02, 2017 in Child Custody

If you are involved in a custody case in Illinois, you should know the different options you have in the type of custody you can request. One of those is sole custody. According to The Spruce, sole custody is when one parent has the sole responsibility and control over the children. If you are granted sole custody, you do not need to confer with your children's other parent when making major decisions if you do not want to. You have the authority to make any and all decisions about your children.

Sole custody has some downsides, which the court will take into consideration. If you and your children's other parent are both involved in their lives, then the court will likely seek to continue that involvement and will not remove the other parent's rights by granting you sole custody. However, if the children's other parent is not involved in their lives, sole custody may be seen as the best decision because it gives you complete legal control over the children. You will be able to make decisions without worrying about whether the other parent will try to step in. It can also be the best decision in situations where you and the children's other parent cannot come to an agreement on anything because it may provide more stability for children in this type of situation.

You may want to consider this option when making your custody demands. However, you should consider what is best for the children overall. You should also think about how involved the other parent currently is. If you have always made decisions together when it comes to the children, then it could be very difficult for the other parent to give that up and let you have all the say in decisions involving your children.