Joint child custody is often required when parents cannot make their own decision on how the child is to be cared for and where the child will live after a separation or divorce occurs. Joint custody may include joint legal custody, joint physical custody, or joint legal and physical custody. Joint physical custody occurs when the child or children spend a significant amount of their time with each parent. If the parents can come to an agreement on their own, without the judge or family court official making the decision for them, their decision, as long as acceptable, will be approved in family court. In many instances, parents will share physical custody and also legal custody of the child, but it is rare for one parent to have legal custody and not physical custody as well.