Materanzi & Suskain 2014 FamCA 454

A child aged 10 years at the final hearing had lived in a shared care arrangement with both parents, then lived with her father and spent time with her mother and sisters.

The mother had persistently attended the child’s school on a daily basis, although handovers were ordered for another location.  The mother changed lunches that had been provided for the child by the father, and gave the child changes of clothing.  The mother also took the child home from school, resulting in the child missing schooling.  The child reported that the mother objected to her wearing clothes that had been provided by the father.  The child was quoted as saying that if she does not do as mummy asks then the mother says that means she does not love her mother (differentiate own/others emotions).

The father complained that the mother often did not bring the child to handovers at arranged times (contravene order).

A fmaily consultant raised a question of whether the mother met the child’s meeds or asked the child to meet the mother’s emotional needs.  The judge found that the mother responded to difficulties by blaming others (attributions externalising).