What is a parenting plan

Recently, South Carolina Family Courts started requiring parents involved in contested child custody actions to prepare and present a parenting plan to the Court at hearings.  So what is a parenting plan?  Essentially, the parenting plan is each parent's proposed plan that answers the questions about who they propose would have custody (father, mother, or some form of joint custody), how decisions will be made for the children going forward, and a placement plan that describes the time that the children will spend with each parent.Attached is a PDF version of the parenting plan used in South Carolina Family Courts.