PARENTING MATTERS
Making suitable arrangements for children following a separation is a priority both for parents and family lawyers alike.
The welfare of your children is of the utmost importance to Starling Family Law and the parenting jurisdiction of the family law system is structured around your child’s best interests.
It is central to parenting matters that children have the right to maintain a relationship with both their parents following separation whilst also being protected from harm or the risk of harm.
We understand that deciding on parenting arrangements can emotional and sometimes scary, particularly if you are being asked to contemplate long-term arrangements whilst your life is in turbulence. Starling Family Law is here to support you through the process to achieve a resolution that will work well for you and your children, minimise any disruption to their routines and limit any animosity between you and your former partner.
Parenting matters may include:
- Living and time spent arrangements for the children including school holidays and special occasions (and any changes to these over the longer term)
- Who will be making long-term decisions for the children
- Extra-curricular activities
- Communicating with the children’s schools and medical practitioners
- Travel arrangements for the children
- Methods of communication between the parents in relation to children’s matters
and in some cases
- DNA testing to resolve any disputes about parentage
- Obligations on the parents to engage in particular services or courses
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Any requirements for the parents to attend on psychologists or other mental health professionals, either for themselves or the children
- Orders that address any safety concerns of the parents (in addition to any intervention orders that may be in place)
- Whether a parent should be permitted to move with the children (known as “relocation” applications)
- High conflict relationships between the parents or between one or both of the parents and the children
(see also our page on complex parenting matters)
What a suitable arrangement looks like varies between families and takes into consideration the existing care arrangements prior to separation, the relationship the children have with other household members such as step-siblings or grandparents, any specific needs of the children, the distance between the parents residences following separation, the conduct of the parents both prior to and following separation, any family violence or substance abuse concerns, and a number of other factors that relate to the welfare of the children. In addition, care arrangements will also take into account factors such as the developmental stage of the child and the social science around what is developmentally appropriate for the child.
In order to provide you with specific advice about what a suitable arrangement might be for your children, please contact us to make an appointment so that we can discuss with you the different factors that you should consider when making a decision about parenting arrangements. We suggest that you do so as soon as possible as it can be difficult to “undo” arrangements if you feel they are not working if those arrangements have already been in place for some time.