Child Visitation is also referred to as “Parenting time” in Oregon. It’s is the amount of time– and the circumstances under which– children spend time with each parent. Parenting time and visitation are different than child custody.
Parenting Time and Visitation in Oregon
Oregon visitation is crafted largely by a public policy goal in favor of the best interests of children. It is the policy of Oregon to:
- Assure minor children of frequent and continuing contact with parents who have shown the ability to act in the best interests of the child;
- Encourage such parents to share in the rights and responsibilities of raising their children after the parents have separated or dissolved their marriage;
- Encourage parents to develop their own parenting plan with the assistance of legal and mediation professionals, if necessary;
- Grant parents and courts the widest discretion in developing a parenting plan; and
- Consider the best interests of the child and the safety of the parties in developing a parenting plan.
Oregon Visitation and Parenting Plan Enforcement
Common disputes to visitation include:
- Pick up and drop off locations
- One parent showing up late or early
- Children not returning from visitation with their toys or clothes
- Children not returning from visitation with clean or freshly-laundered clothes
- Children being left with a babysitter or third-party during the other parent’s visitation
- Children being left alone an unsupervised during visitation
- Children being fed non-nutritious foods during visitation (e.g. junk food)
At the risk of over-generalization, it can be said that in many divorce and child custody cases, fathers feel that they are not receiving enough parenting time, and mothers feel the the father is receiving too much parenting time, not exercising the parenting time he has (e.g. “no-shows”), or that the father is not using his parenting time well.
Visitation Modification
If modifications of parenting time are needed in your pending case or post-judgment case, contact our offices to discuss options available to you, including but not limited to: mediation, parenting time coordination using a parenting time coordinator, or a hearing in court to modify parenting time.