Many custody courts are today placing greater emphasis on co-parenting after divorce. To this end, a growing number of states are requiring divorcing parents to collaborate together on a document known as a parenting plan. Although the requirements for parenting plans differ from state to state, most seek to elicit agreement from the divorcing parents about the values, beliefs, practices, and rules that they will use in parenting their children. Having a parenting plan in place can often reduce the risk of conflict and misunderstanding. These plans also increase stability for the children of divorced parents by ensuring a greater degree of stability and consistency between the households. If you and your former spouse have been asked to devise a parenting plan, talk to a court representative to find out if there are specific parenting plan forms that have to be used in your jurisdiction in order to comply with the court