The Texas Family court and child custody lawyers within the state do everything in their power to resolve custody issues in ways that are in the best interest of the children, first and foremost.

Generally speaking, this means child custody negotiations conclude with multiple children kept together under the conservatorship of one of the two parents.

Yet this is not always the case.

If there is a valid enough reason to do so, divorce lawyers find that the court can and will separate siblings if somehow split child custody is more beneficial. 

What Is Split Child Custody? 

Split child custody is when the family court divides conservatorship of multiple children in a family between both parents rather than giving conservatorship over all the children to one parent.

Although it is a rare occurrence in Texas as child custody lawyers and the courts always prefer to keep families together, it is occasionally done.

This is usually when child custody negotiations and past history reveal that it is in the best interest of a child or the family that the children be allowed to live in different households.

Why Would The Court Award Split Custody?

There are a number of reasons why divorce lawyers see the Texas family court awarding split child custody in divorce cases.

Some of these include:

  • Sibling Rivalry - When the children do not get along and separating them would be better than forcing both to continue to live together with one parent.
  • Financial Burden - When the financial burden of multiple children will be too great for only one parent to bear and is not easily resolved through child support.
  • Same-Sex Parent - When the child is older and living with the parent of the same sex is preferable.
  • Parent Relocation - When a parent relocates and the new location is preferable for a child for whatever reason.
  • Child Request - When the child requests to be with one parent over the other for a valid reason.

How Does Split Custody Affect Parenting? 

When child custody lawyers and/or the family request split custody and it is approved by the Texas family court that has deemed it necessary, this arrangement undoubtedly affects parenting especially where visitation is concerned.

Not only must custody negotiations cover the more complex decisions of how to handle child support and the collective child-raising decisions that parents must make, visitation schedules can become more complicated as well.

Split custody situations require allowing both parents to have time with all of the children, plus children all having time with each other as well.

Lawyers find that it is a circumstance that requires extreme cooperation from both parents who must work together to identify visitation needs and then ensure that those needs are all served.

Split Custody Is A Concern

No Texas divorce or child custody situation is ever the same, especially when custody negotiations go in the direction of split custody.

This is why it is so important to work with a child custody lawyer who has experience with these less common yet challenging situations.

Be sure that custody agreements satisfy everyone’s needs and actually work in the best interest of the children by hiring a divorce lawyer experienced with split custody arrangements.

Split custody may not be a good idea for all families; however, when properly arranged, it could be beneficial for some situations.

Schreier & Housewirth Family Law

1800 West Bowie Street, Suite 200-E
Fort Worth TX 76110

817-923-9999

 

Gregory L. Housewirth is a Board-Certified Family Law Specialist practicing in Fort Worth Texas. With 30 years of family law experience, Mr. Housewirth has represented hundreds of clients in divorce, custody, CPS, modification, and grandparent cases. In addition, Mr. Housewirth is a qualified family law mediator and a member of Collaborative Law Texas, a practice group dedicated to promoting collaborative divorce in Texas.