child focused

The mother of a child aged 4 years at the time of the hearing had been subjected to intense and long term verbal abuse.  The mother applied to relocate to be with her extended family and to provide some relief...

A child aged 12 years had special needs due to mild cerebral palsy, mild intellectual disability and epilepsy.   The father had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  The child was in the primary care of the mother.  The...

Four boys aged 14, 12, 11 and 7 years had lived with the father for two years following separation.  The youngest child had moved to live with the mother for eight months while the three older children continued to...

The judge found that for a shared care arrangement (co-parent) to be considered viable, parents need to have the capacity to communicate, to resolve conflict, to have a modicum of trust and respect for the other...

The case involved separated parents with three children: LD aged 5yr 9mo, WDW aged 2yr 9mon and KD aged 1yr 6months.  The parents separated and lived for a period in different states, with the father visiting...

A child aged 6 years had lived with the mother for 5 years.  A psychiatrist gave evidence that the mother met 7 of 9 criteria for  borderline personality disorder, and recommended psychological therapy (personality emotionally volatile). ...

The case involved a child aged 7 years who was reluctant to visit her father (reluctant to contact).  A child protection service had assessed the family and found no current concerns about child protection although there...

The father had arrived in Australia on a visitor’s visa and sought a visa for permanent residency.  The father had been in relationships with two women (Ms A & Ms D) within a 2 year period and...

A couple separated having 2 children aged 11 and 10 years.  The parents agreed their children had observed one physical altercation when police were called.  The children initially spent time with the father while living with the mother. ...

A couple had two children aged 13 and 7 years.  An initial order for shared care granted 9 days to the mother and 5 days to the father.  The mother applied for the order to be...

A mother applied to change a final order that had been made three years earlier involving a child now aged 7 years.  The final orders were that the child live with the father and spend supervised...

A trial judge ordered that a 5 year old child live with the mother and spend time with the father.  The father appealed seeking increased time. The trial judge had noted that entries in a communication...

Before separation the mother had been the primary carer for two children aged 8 and 6 years.  Following separation the children lived with the father and spent time with the mother.  The mother had a diagnosis...

The case involved a 4 year old girl whose parents had separated in the year of her birth, and who lived with the mother.   Several significant disputes between the parents were discussed in court.  The father...

Shared Time for Infants A policy document by the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health Inc. provides guidelines for the following situations: overnight stays for infants under 2 years away from a primary caregivers can create...