There are many ways of dividing the time that children spend with each parent.  Factors such are how far apart the parents live, work patterns,  the age of the children and whether child maintenance can be agreed can affect what works for each family. Here are some of the patterns that are commonly in use:

• Week about – children spend one full week in one household and the next week in the other household.
• Split weeks – the children spend four days with one parent then three with the other, reversing this pattern the next week.
• Days about – may be best for young children so that they do not spend too much time away from either parent.

When  the children are at school age it is also necessary to work out a pattern for the holidays that allows for longer periods with each parent.