Decision-Making Responsibility in Alberta (Formerly “Custody”)
When parents separate or divorce in Alberta, they must determine who will have decision-making responsibility for their children. This process is often more straightforward when both parents are able to cooperate and focus on the best interests of the children.
In deciding how decision-making responsibility will be shared, parents should consider several key issues:
Where the children will live and how parenting time will be divided between each parent.
How major decisions—such as education, healthcare, and extracurricular activities—will be made.
How disagreements about parenting issues will be resolved in the future.
Free Consultation
If you have any questions or concerns about decision-making responsibilities for your children, please contact us for a free consultation at: (403) 288-0009 or by email at murray@bodnaruklaw.com
Best Interests of the Children
When deciding on decision-making responsibility, it is important to focus on the best interests of the children. Decision-making responsibility and parenting arrangements should, above all else, protect and support the children’s physical, emotional, and psychological security, and their well-being.
Types of Decision-Making Responsibility
Decision-making responsibility means the responsibility for making important decisions about the children’s well-being. This includes decisions about the children’s:
- health care;
- education;
- culture, language, religion, or spirituality; and
- significant extra-curricular activities.
Parents can make important decisions in several different ways:
- Joint decision-making responsibility: The parents consult each other and make decisions together.
- Sole decision-making responsibility: One parent makes the decisions.
- Divided (parallel) decision-making responsibility: One parent may be responsible for some decisions (health and religion) while the other parent is responsible for other decisions (education).
Parents should carefully consider which decision-making approach is appropriate in their specific circumstances, considering their children’s best interests. If the parents have a history of cooperating with each other on decisions involving the children, joint decision-making responsibility may be a good option.
