In the event of a separation there will be a number of issues which relate to your children. These will include:
- Residence: to determine where the children will live on a day-to-day basis.
- Contact: relates to the arrangements that may be made for the children to visit their other parent or other significant people in their lives, such as grandparents, relatives, etc.
- Specific issues / responsibility for long-term care, welfare & development: involves the responsibilities of parents which relate to long-term decisions e.g. education, religious upbringing, use of surname, whether a child may go to live overseas or interstate and major health decisions. Joint responsibility is the usual order of a court, but there are times when this is not appropriate.
Kells can assist you to:
- make your own decisions by agreement between both parents
- negotiate a settlement
- seek a court decision
- arrange counselling or mediation to help you talk to the children's other parent.
For more information download the Kells' fact sheet Your Children After Separation - (153 kb)