Oregon family law judges apply the same rules for child custody and parenting time in a divorce or custody action between unmarried parents. The court will consider what is best for the child before awarding child custody (decision-making authority) and creating a parenting time plan that assigns visitation times for each parent. In most cases, the court will encourage the parties to resolve child custody and parenting time disputes themselves through mediation and other forms of negotiation. This is generally best for all involved. However, when the parties cannot agree, the court is able to make the final decision.