Parenting Access/Visitation

The court is guided by the best interests of a child when modifying a visitation/parenting access schedule.

1. The temperament and developmental needs of the child;
2. The capacity and the disposition of the parents to understand and meet the needs of the child;
3. Any relevant and material information obtained from the child, including the informed preferences of the child;
4. The wishes of the child’s parents as to custody;
5. The past and current interaction and relationship of the child with each parent, the child’s siblings and any other person who may significantly affect the best interests of the child;
6. The willingness and ability of each parent to facilitate and encourage such continuing parent-child relationship between the child and the other parent as is appropriate, including compliance with any court orders;
7. Any manipulation by or coercive behavior of the parents in an effort to involve the child in the parents’ dispute;
8. The ability of each parent to be actively involved in the life of the child;
9. The child’s adjustment to his or her home, school and community environments;
10. The length of time that the child has lived in a stable and satisfactory environment and the desirability of maintaining continuity in such environment, provided the court may consider favorably a parent who voluntarily leaves the child’s family home pendente lite in order to alleviate stress in the household;
11. The stability of the child’s existing or proposed residences, or both;
12. The mental and physical health of all individuals involved, except that a disability of a proposed custodial parent or other party, in and of itself, shall not be determinative of custody unless the proposed custodial arrangement is not in the best interests of the child;
13. The child’s cultural background;
14. The effect on the child of the actions of an abuser, if any domestic violence has occurred between the parents or between a parent and another individual or the child;
15. Whether the child or a sibling of the child has been abused or neglected, as defined respectively in section 46b-120; and
16. Whether the party satisfactorily completed participation in a parenting education program established pursuant to section 46b-69b. The court is not required to assign any weight to any of the factors that it considers.