custody

The new term for custody is decision-making responsibility for most family law cases. If you have a child protection case, the term custody may still be used.

Decision-making responsibility or custody is the right to make important decisions about how to care for and raise a child. It includes the right to make decisions about the child’s health, education, religion, and important extra-curricular activities.

The parents can agree to or the court can give:

• one parent all decision-making responsibility,
• 2 or more parents decision-making responsibility, or
• different parents separate responsibilities, for example, one parent makes decisions about the child’s health and another parent makes decisions about the child’s religion.