Child Support | Money that one parent gives the other parent to help pay for the things that their children need. |
Divorce | A legal action two people take to end their marriage. |
Marriage | A legal agreement that allows two people to live together in a legal union. |
Mediation | A process for resolving conflicts between people where a neutral professional tries to help find a solution that meets everyone's needs. |
Mediator | A person who has been specially trained to help people resolve conflicts. |
Parental Rights and Responsibilities |
How parents make major decisions about their children’s health, education, and welfare. Can be “shared” (parents have shared responsibilities) or “primary” (one parent has the responsibility alone) or “divided” (each parent has specific responsibilities). |
Parent-Child Contact | The time children spend with the parent they don’t live with most of the time. Some people refer to this as “parenting time.” (Some states use the word “visitation,” but Vermont law does not use that term.) |
Separation | When two people stop living together. |
Shared Parental Rights | This can mean a number of different things. A common example is when the children live part of the time with one parent and part of the time with the other parent with both parents making parental decisions. |
Primary Parental Rights | One parent has the responsibility of making decisions about caring for the child. |