Modifying Your Parenting Plan

Changing a parenting plan can be as drawn out as the official name of the paperwork you need to file: “Petition for Modification of Adjustment of Child Custody Decree/Parenting Plan.”

It’s not easy to modify a parenting plan. Courts favor stable residential schedules and continuity. A parent must show that a substantial change or risk of harm has occurred since they signed off on the original arrangement. A remarriage or new baby is typically not enough. A terminal medical diagnosis or international move would make a modification justifiable. 

You need to demonstrate how a change to the parenting plan would serve your child’s best interest in the wake of this substantial shift in circumstances. Washington’s custody laws require a judge to hold an “adequate cause hearing” that both parents must attend. 

The parent requesting the change has the burden of proof to show a sufficient reason for the change. Both parents will have the opportunity to present factual affidavits—written declarations supporting or opposing the modification. 

If adequate cause is found, the court will set a trial date for the merits of actual modification. We help craft this multifaceted legal process.