Legal Custody: The rights and responsibilities of parents to make decisions relating to the health, education and welfare of their children.
Joint Legal Custody: Both parents share in the right and responsibility to make decisions relating to the health, education and welfare of a child.
Sole Legal Custody: One parent has the right and responsibility to make decisions relating to the health, education and welfare of a child.
Physical Custody: How much time the children spend with each parent; where the children live; how day-to-day responsibilities are fulfilled.
Joint Physical Custody: Children spend a significant amount of time with each parent.
Sole Physical Custody: Children reside primarily with one parent and have visitation with the other parent.
Joint Custody: This term means both joint legal and joint physical custody. Parents agree to share it all.
Visitation: Times when one parent has the children and is fully responsible for them.
Supervised Visitation: Visitation is limited to special situations in which a third party, specified by the Court, is present. Supervised, monitored visitation may occur when there is a need to protect children because of drug or alcohol abuse, child abuse or neglect, family violence, or other serious problems, or when children are getting to know an absent parent.
