Beman & Sassi 2014 FamCA 186

The case involved children who were at different developmental stages, being aged nearly 4 years and 9 years.  Little difference was found in the parenting capacity of each of the parents.

The family consultant opined that the fact that one parent may have been a primary carer was not determinative provided there was evidence that each parent’s care was acceptable and that a child had a strong and secure attachment to each parent.  A 4 year old child can often manage blocks of separation of 4-5 nights (age of child).  Separation anxiety is normal at certain development stages in a child’s life.  Anxiety at handover can be ameliorated by restricting the number of handovers and the number of changes to the children’s arrangements.