"Parenting & Children" covers how parents work out two legally separate things after separating: parenting time (the schedule — when a child is in each parent's care) and decision-making responsibility (who has authority over significant decisions about a child's health, education, religion and general wellbeing). Ontario law no longer uses the older terms "custody" and "access," though many people still search using them — today's terms describe the same underlying issues more precisely by separating the schedule from the decision-making authority.
Whatever arrangement parents reach, however it's reached, it's generally measured against the best interests of the child — a standard that looks at the child's needs, each parent's ability to meet them, and, where appropriate, the child's own views, rather than either parent's preferences. Parents can agree directly, often recording the result in a parenting plan, or ask a court to decide where they can't agree. Arrangements can also be shared, sole, or split between parents depending on the issue, and, in some situations, supervised.
Someone new to this topic generally wants to understand, in order: that parenting time and decision-making responsibility are separate and can be split differently; that "best interests of the child" is the standard courts apply; and that arrangements can take several different shapes depending on the family's circumstances. A common misunderstanding is treating one parent's preferred schedule as the default starting point — the analysis is meant to start from the child's needs, not either parent's wishes, which is part of why courts and mediators often ask what the child's routine looked like before separation. From there, the guides below cover parenting plans, relocation, what to do if parenting time is being denied, and the role of grandparents. For a single plain-language starting point, see the Parenting Insights hub.