§48-11-205 Permanent parenting plan. - West Virginia Statutes

§48-11-205. Permanent parenting plan.
(a) A party seeking a judicial allocation of custodial responsibility or decision-making responsibility under this article shall file a proposed parenting plan with the court. Parties may file a joint plan. A proposed plan shall be verified and shall state, to the extent known or reasonably discoverable by the filing party or parties:

(1) The name, address and length of residence of any adults with whom the child has lived for one year or more, or in the case of a child less than one year old, any adults with whom the child has lived since the child's birth;

(2) The name and address of each of the child's parents and any other individuals with standing to participate in the action under section one hundred three of this article;

(3) A description of the allocation of caretaking and other parenting responsibilities performed by each person named in subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection during the twenty-four months preceding the filing of an action under this article;

(4) A description of the work and child-care schedules of any person seeking an allocation of custodial responsibility, and any expected changes to these schedules in the near future;

(5) A description of the child's school and extracurricular activities;

(6) A description of any of the limiting factors as described in section two hundred nine of this article that are present, including any restraining orders against either parent to prevent domestic or family violence, by case number and jurisdiction;

(7) Required financial information; and

(8) A description of the known areas of agreement and disagreement with any other parenting plan submitted in the case.

The court shall maintain the confidentiality of any information required to be filed under this section when the person giving that information has a reasonable fear of domestic abuse and disclosure of the information would increase that fear.

(b) The court shall develop a process to identify cases in which there is credible information that child abuse or neglect, as defined in section three, article one, chapter forty-nine of this code, or domestic or family violence as defined in section one hundred twenty-one, article two of this chapter has occurred. The process shall include assistance for possible victims of domestic abuse in complying with subdivision (6), subsection (a) of this section, and referral to appropriate resources for safe shelter, counseling, safety planning, information regarding the potential impact of domestic abuse on children, and information regarding civil and criminal remedies for domestic abuse. The process shall also include a system for ensuring that jointly submitted parenting plans that are filed in cases in which there is credible information that child abuse or domestic abuse has occurred receive the court review that is mandated by subdivision (b), section two hundred one of this article.

(c) Upon motion of a party and after consideration of the evidence, the court shall order a parenting plan consistent with the provisions of sections two hundred six through two hundred nine of this article, containing:

(1) A provision for the child's living arrangements and each parent's custodial responsibility, which shall include either:

(A) A custodial schedule that designates in which parent's home each minor child will reside on given days of the year; or

(B) A formula or method for determining such a schedule in sufficient detail that, if necessary, the schedule can be enforced in subsequent proceedings by the court;

(2) An allocation of decision-making responsibility as to significant matters reasonably likely to arise with respect to the child; and

(3) A provision consistent with section two hundred two of this article for resolution of disputes that arise under the plan, and remedies for violations of the plan.

(d) A parenting plan may, at the court's discretion, contain provisions that address matters that are expected to arise in the event of a party's relocation, or provide for future modifications in the parenting plan if specified contingencies occur.