discipline

Parents had separated 7 years earlier.  A trial judge found that the father of children aged 12 and 10 years had engaged in a pattern of emotionally abusive behaviour that undermined the children’s relationships with their mother, and...

A mother alleged that the father had sexually abused an older daughter of the mother from another relationship when that child was aged 8 years. The mother also alleged that the father was unable to control his anger without...

An assessor described a 13 year old child as having developed an atypical form of anxious-avoidant attachment style, meaning that the child had responded to the lack of adult responsiveness to his needs by becoming self-reliant. ...

The mother of four children appealed a decision by the judge to place two younger boys aged 7 and 8 years with their father and older brother, while a girl was placed with the mother.  The...

The case involved a non-parent who applied for care of four children aged 1 to 6 years as the children had lived with her for 6-9 months.  The applicant was a friend of the mother.  Both parents reclaimed...

Children aged 12 and 11 years reported that their mother had pinched, hit and slapped the children as a form of discipline, leaving bruises that were observable to Police (discipline harsh). The judge found that the...

A mother was raised as Christian by her parents who had worked as missionaries.  The mother converted to Islam and met a partner who considered her to be a devout Muslim.  The couple married and had two...

Parents disputed the living arrangement of a child aged 4 years with mild autism.  Both parents acknowledged that the child’s behaviour was at times trying.  The father reported that the mother frequently became angry over the...

The case involved three children aged 12, 11 and 8 years who lived with the mother and spent time with their father and his extended family at the house of a grandparent. Tensions arose over an...

The mother and her young adult daughter alleged that the father engaged in family violence.  Evidence was given that the parents were a high conflict couple who exposed the child aged ten years to their arguments...

Parents of children aged 9 and 4 years separated.  The father re-partnered.   Soon after the mother reported that the children exhibited increased anxiety and the mother withheld the children.  The mother demanded that the father participate...

Prior to the hearing when the child was aged 7 years, the mother had removed the child to a secret location and the father did not see the child for 2 years. Both parents alleged that...

This article first describes traditional concepts about parenting styles, and then reports a study of parenting styles that are seen in a family law context. TRADITIONAL CONCEPTS OF PARENTING STYLE Researchers distinguish different broad approaches for...

Both parents sought orders that a child aged 9 years live with them. The assessor found that the parents had different parenting styles. The mother disciplined the child strictly as the mother found the child to...

The case involved a child aged 13 years who was diagnosed with ADHD and who took Ritalin.  The child had been on a week-about shared care arrangement with both parents.  Both parents had re-partnered.  The mother...

The case involved a child aged 9 years who had been on a shared care arrangement for four years.  The mother was aged 18 years when the child was born, and the father left her to...

The case involved a dispute between parents and maternal grandparents of children aged 9 and 7 years.  Contact between the children and grandparents ended following a dispute.  Five years later the grandparents applied to spend time...

Two children aged 11 years and 9 years 10 months lived with their mother.  The father had no phone contact with the children for a year before the hearing (contact limited involvement), and declined to participate in...

Four children aged 13, 12, 7 and 5 years had lived with their mother and spent time with their father.  The father then informed police that he had explosives in his house, leading to a siege...

A couple separated and had a son aged 7 years at the time of the hearing.  The mother re-partnered. The child lived with the mother and spent time with the father.  The father requested sole parental...

Evidence was given that a father had on many occasions assaulted his 12 year old daughter who he described as being headstrong, leaving bruises with one incident that resulted in a conviction for assault. The judge...

A couple divorced with daughters aged 10 and 8 years.  The father had been the breadwinner while the mother cared for the children.  The mother alleged the father had shown disinterest in the children and had...

A child was born after the couple had a very brief relationship, and the child was never raised jointly by the two parents.  Both parents were socially vulnerable, and neither had worked recently.  The parents lived...

Parents of children aged 9 and 7 years lived interstate after their separation.  The mother was the primary carer.  The end of the relationship was traumatic for the mother, and the mother’s distress was evident to...

A couple had three children aged 10, 9 and 8 years.  Interim orders had been made for the children to live with the father and to spend time with the mother.  When the case was reviewed...