Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.995(a), Parenting Plan (12/10)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPROVED FAMILY LAW
FORM 12.995(a), PARENTING PLAN (12/10)
When should this form be used?
A Parenting Plan is required in all cases involving time-sharing with minor child(ren), even when time-
sharing is not in dispute. The Parenting Plan must be developed and agreed to by the parents and
approved by the court. If the parties cannot agree to a Parenting Plan or if the parents agreed to a plan
that is not approved by the court, a Parenting Plan will be established by the court with or without the
use of parenting plan recommendations. This form or a similar form should be used in the development
of a Parenting Plan. If the case involves supervised time-sharing, the Safety Focused Parenting Plan,
Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.995 (b) or a similar form should be used.
This form should be typed or printed in black ink. Please either delete or strike-through terms or
paragraphs that are inappropriate or inapplicable to your agreement. If an agreement has been
reached, both parties must sign the Parenting Plan and have their signatures witnessed by a notary
public or deputy clerk. After completing this form, you should file the original with the clerk of the
circuit court in the county where the petition was filed and keep a copy for your records. You should
then refer to the instructions for your petition, answer, or answer and counterpetition concerning the
procedures for setting a hearing or trial (final hearing). If the parents have not reached an agreement, a
proposed Parenting Plan may be filed by either parent at the time of or any time prior to the final
hearing. If an agreed Parenting Plan is not filed by the parties, the court shall establish a Plan.
Where can I look for more information?
Before proceeding, you should read “General Information for Self-Represented Litigants” found at the
beginning of these forms. The words that are in “bold underline” in these instructions are defined
there. For further information, see chapter 61, Florida Statutes, and the instructions for the petition
and/or answer that were filed in this case.
Special notes...
At a minimum, the Parenting Plan must describe in adequate detail:
How the parties will share and be responsible for the daily tasks associated with the upbringing of
the child(ren),
The time-sharing schedule arrangements that specify the time that the minor child(ren) will spend
with each parent,
A designation of who will be responsible for any and all forms of health care, school-related matters,
including the address to be used for school-boundary determination and registration, other
activities, and
The methods and technologies that the parents will use to communicate with the child(ren).