WomensLaw serves and supports all survivors, no matter their sex or gender.

Legal Information: Washington

Custody

View all
Updated: 
December 15, 2023

If the other parent is not following the parenting plan, what can I do?

If the other parent is not following the plan, you could file a petition for contempt of court with the court. In a petition for contempt of court, you are asking a judge to say that the other parent violated the parenting plan and to order the other parent to follow the plan and/or punish the parent for failing to follow the order. You will probably need to petition the same court that gave you your parenting plan even if you have moved.

If the court finds that the other parent has violated the parenting plan, the court can order that parent to give you additional time with the child, pay your attorneys’ fees, and pay a fine.1

However, it is important to remember that even if the other parent is not following the parenting plan, it does not excuse you from following your obligations.

1 R.C.W. § 26.09.160