| Title 20 of the Wyoming Statutes Annotated contains | | | | parents must make it in the best interest of the child. |
| the state laws and guidelines concerning child custody. | | | | Chapter 20-2-201 explains that if parents work |
| Within these laws, parents can find the necessary | | | | together on a plan that is best for the child, the court |
| information they need to make the best possible | | | | will accept it. If the parents contest the custody |
| custody agreement. The custody agreement is one of | | | | agreement, the court has the authority to make the |
| the most important results of the custody proceeding, | | | | final decision about the plan. This means that the court |
| so parents should take the time to find out how to | | | | can accept a proposed plan by either parent or create |
| make an agreement that the court will accept. Here is | | | | a new plan. The court will determine the custody |
| a brief overview of some of the points of law from | | | | agreement based on what is best for the child. |
| the Wyoming Statutes that parents should know when | | | | Chapter 20-2-201 has a list of factors that the court |
| making the parenting plan. | | | | considers when determining what custody |
| Title 20 Chapter 20 explains that the state of | | | | arrangements are in the child's best interest. These |
| Wyoming accepts several custody arrangement | | | | factors include: the quality of the relationship the child |
| options. The type of custody the parents share is one | | | | has with each parent, the ability of each parent to |
| of the first things that need to be decided in the | | | | provide necessary care to the child, the competency |
| custody agreement. In Wyoming, parents can choose | | | | and fitness of each parent, each parent's willingness to |
| to have any combination of a joint or shared custody | | | | accept parental responsibility, the best way each child |
| as well as a sole custody. Joint and shared custody | | | | can maintain a strong relationship with each parent, the |
| mean that the mother and father share the legal and | | | | distance between the parents' homes, etc. Parents |
| physical responsibility of raising the children. A sole | | | | should also consider these factors as they make the |
| custody arrangement means that one parent primary | | | | parenting plan. For example, if one of the parents is not |
| takes care of the children while the other parent has | | | | willing to shoulder parental responsibility, that parent |
| visitation time. The parents should work out the details | | | | should not have custody. Instead, the parent plan could |
| of the custody in their parenting plan. | | | | make plans for the child to have short visits with that |
| In order to get a plan accepted by the court, the | | | | parent. |