1. The state courts administrator shall create a handbook or be responsible for the approval of a handbook outlining the following:

(1) Guidelines as to what is included in a parenting plan in order to maximize to the highest degree the amount of time the child may spend with each parent;

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 452.556

  • Custody: means joint legal custody, sole legal custody, joint physical custody or sole physical custody or any combination thereof. See Missouri Laws 452.375
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Pro se: A Latin term meaning "on one's own behalf"; in courts, it refers to persons who present their own cases without lawyers.
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.

(2) The benefits of the parties agreeing to a parenting plan which outlines education, custody and cooperation between parents;

(3) The benefits of alternative dispute resolution;

(4) The pro se family access motion for enforcement of custody or temporary physical custody;

(5) The underlying assumptions for supreme court rules relating to child support; and

(6) A party’s duties and responsibilities pursuant to section 452.377, including the possible consequences of not complying with section 452.377.

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The handbooks shall be distributed to each court and shall be available in an alternative format, including Braille, large print, or electronic or audio format upon request by a person with a disability, as defined by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The handbook shall be made readily available and easily accessible online and upon request by a party.

2. In a dissolution or legal separation action filed pursuant to section 452.310, or any proceeding in modification thereof, where minor children are involved, petitioner’s counsel shall provide the petitioner with a copy of the handbook developed pursuant to subsection 1 of this section at the time the petition is filed and provide a copy of the handbook to be served along with the petition and summons upon the respondent. If the petitioner is unrepresented by counsel at the time the petition is filed, the court shall provide the petitioner with a copy of the handbook and direct that a copy of the handbook be served along with the petition and summons upon the respondent.

3. The court shall make the handbook available to interested state agencies and members of the public.

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