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To prepare for a parenting-plan change, compare three things: the current order, the schedule actually followed and the proposed arrangement. Record the dates and practical effect on care, school and exchanges. Counsel can assess whether the request involves a minor adjustment, major modification or enforcement under the applicable requirements.
| Issue Type | Facts That Often Matter | Gap to address |
|---|---|---|
| Minor adjustment disputes | Specific scheduling conflicts, communication history, exchange timing, and whether the existing plan is workable in practice. | No comparison showing the current schedule and the precise adjustment requested. |
| Major modification disputes | Longer pattern evidence, safety concerns, caregiving shifts, relocation impact, repeated violations, and why the existing arrangement is no longer workable. | Trying to frame a major problem as a simple scheduling issue. |
| Cases needing closer legal assessment | How much parenting time changes in reality, whether school or residence shifts are involved, and whether the dispute is really about enforcement instead. | No dated comparison of actual time, school or residence before and after the proposed change. |
For a scheduling conflict, show the particular dates, notice and exchange difficulties. A broader requested change may need a longer history of care, safety concerns or noncompliance. The amount of documentation alone does not determine the legal category.
School, childcare and provider records, together with firsthand witnesses, can show who handled care and how the child’s routine changed. Use dates and comparable periods rather than a general claim that the arrangement no longer works.
If the concern is that an existing provision is not being followed, preserve the order and the events at issue. Ask counsel whether enforcement or modification addresses the problem; a PI does not make that choice.
Repeated violations may matter, but they do not automatically turn a minor adjustment into a major modification. RCW 26.09.260 has specific grounds and limits; one ground involves at least two court contempt findings within three years for failure to comply with residential-time provisions, or a custodial-interference conviction. Preserve the orders and events, and ask counsel whether enforcement or a particular modification ground applies.
They can be useful in assessing actual routines and changes, especially where the requested adjustment is broad. Their value depends on the disputed question, so gather relevant records for the period counsel identifies.
No. Counsel assesses the legal category and requirements. An investigator can document dates, actual caregiving and the practical effect of the proposed change.
It may help when existing records leave a specific gap about care, residence or exchanges. We can compare records, interview witnesses or observe relevant activity, then report what is established and what remains uncertain.
Share the current order, proposed schedule and disputed events. We can assess the factual work needed to document the difference for counsel’s review.