In 2016, new child custody laws went into effect. In this article, our DuPage County attorneys discuss the changes that occurred that were designed to reduce and limit disputes while bringing the law closer to modern parenting realities.
Instead of using terms such as "visitation" and "non-custodial parents," new Illinois custody laws now work in terms of "allocation of shared parenting time and responsibility." Under this law, parental shared responsibility is divided into four categories: medical, religious, educational and extra-curricular activities. The decision making power for each category is assigned to a parent either by agreement of the parents or by court order. Parenting time will now be divided among both parents without labeling each parent as either the "non-custodial" or "custodial" parent.