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If you need a judge to make an order as soon as possible due to an emergency, you can file a request for a temporary emergency order. 

Once papers are filed starting a family law case (like a divorce or a parentage case), you can ask for a court date so a judge can make a decision about your financial or family situation. This is called requesting an order. You can request an order about many issues, like child or spousal support, or child custody and visitation (parenting time). 

After the judge makes temporary emergency orders, you file your Request for Order and get a court date, you must let the other side know. You do this by having another adult, not you, hand a copy of the court papers to them. This is called personal service or having someone personally served. 

If you were served with a Request for Order (form FL-300) asking for child custody and parenting time orders, this means that the other parent of your children has asked the court to make orders regarding custody and parenting time (also called visitation) of your children.  

Find a specific page or step-by-step instructions within our child custody and visitation (parenting time) section.

The guide can help you

• Understand what supervised visitation is
• Learn next steps if you want a judge to make orders
• Learn next steps if a judge has already made orders in your case

A child custody evaluation is an investigation of your child's health, safety, welfare, and best interests by a trained mental health professional (an evaluator). At the end of the investigation, the evaluator will provide a report to you and the judge with a recommendation for a parenting plan in your child's best interests.

In any case

If you and your child’s other parent need help to set up a parenting plan for your child, one of you can ask a judge for an order about child custody and parenting time (also called visitation). You can also ask the judge to change an order if you already have one.