Law Office Of Paulette Hamilton Divorce Lawyers | July 4, 2025 | Child Custody
If you are going through a divorce or custody case in Florida, you will likely hear the terms parental responsibility and time-sharing. While many people assume they mean the same thing, they actually refer to two separate aspects of child custody in Florida.
Learning about the difference between these two concepts is key to protecting your rights and making informed decisions about your child’s future. Here is what you should know.
What Is Parental Responsibility?
In Florida, parental responsibility refers to a parent’s right and duty to make major decisions on behalf of their child.
These decisions often involve important areas of the child’s life, such as:
- Education
- Healthcare and medical treatment
- Religious upbringing
- Extracurricular activities
Florida courts strongly favor shared parental responsibility, where both parents work together to make these major decisions. The goal is to ensure both parents stay involved in the child’s life, even if they no longer live together.
However, in cases where one parent is deemed unfit or where joint decision-making would be harmful to the child, the court may award sole parental responsibility to one parent. This gives one parent the right to make decisions alone.
What Is Time-Sharing?
Time-sharing refers to how much physical time each parent spends with the child. This concept was once called custody and visitation, but Florida law now uses the term time-sharing instead.
A parenting plan will outline the time-sharing schedule in detail, including:
- Where the child will live
- How much time the child will spend with each parent
- How holidays and vacations will be divided
- Transportation arrangements for exchanges
In most cases, the court encourages a balanced time-sharing arrangement that gives the child frequent and continuing contact with both parents. However, the specific schedule will depend on what is in the child’s best interests.
Key Differences Between Parental Responsibility and Time-Sharing
While parental responsibility and time-sharing are both part of a custody case, they address very different issues.
Parental responsibility is about who makes important decisions regarding the child’s upbringing. It focuses on legal rights and duties.
On the other hand, time-sharing is about when and where the child will be physically present with each parent. It focuses on the child’s day-to-day schedule.
It is possible for one parent to have sole parental responsibility while both parents share significant time with the child. Likewise, both parents may share decision-making responsibilities even if one parent has less physical time with the child.
How the Court Determines Parental Responsibility and Time-Sharing
Florida courts prioritize the best interests of the child above all else when deciding parental responsibility and time-sharing.
Factors the court may consider include:
- Each parent’s ability to encourage a relationship between the child and the other parent
- The child’s needs and the parent’s ability to meet them
- The stability of each parent’s home environment
- The child’s preferences, depending on their age and maturity
- Each parent’s moral fitness and mental health
- Any history of domestic violence, abuse, or substance abuse
The court will tailor its orders to fit the specific circumstances of the family, with the goal of fostering a healthy and supportive environment for the child.
Contact our Child Custody and Divorce Lawyers at Law Office Of Paulette Hamilton Divorce Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact the Law Office Of Paulette Hamilton Divorce Lawyers in Orlando, FL for a free consultation with our experienced Orlando child custody lawyers.
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