meaningful relationship

The mother of children aged 10 and 7 years was in her third long term relationship.  The first relationship commenced when she was aged 18 years and produced 3 children.  The second relationship commenced when the mother was...

A child aged 11 years was emotionally distressed and the parents disputed the reasons for this distress.  The mother reported that the child suffered violent and unpredictable mood changes when he would attack the mother verbally and would become abusive...

Dispute involved three children aged 17, 16 and 13 years.  Two older girls lived with the mother and the younger child had lived with the father for about a year.  The judge found that the father was...

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 commented that marriage breakdown often produces emotional turmoil and conflict that impacts on young children and that high conflict between parents can have devastating effects on a child’s emotional development.  It is not uncommon to see otherwise...

Two women had lived together for 5 years and disputed the time two children should spend after they separated.  One male had donated sperm for both children, aged 6 years and 19 months at the time...

Two women had lived in an intimate relationship for 9 years and two children were born during this time using IVF, with each woman being the biological parent of one child (same sex relationship).  One woman then...

Twins aged 12 years lived with their mother.  The father alleged that the mother tried to alienate the children from him as had occurred with an older sister. The judge had ordered that the children participate...

A mother of children aged 7 and 5 years who lived with the mother was described as being very caring towards the children, and as being a devoted, patient and understanding parent.  The mother had excluded...

Three children including twins aged 6 years and a 3 year old infant had always lived in the primary care of the mother.  The father worked rostered shift work and he was an untested primary carer....

The case involved a 2 year old child whose parents were described as showing enormous suspicion, animosity and distrust towards each other.  The mother alleged mental illness in the father and the father doubted that 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 case involved three children, one aged 14 and twins aged 12 years.  The oldest child had brought a knife to a handover and threatened to kill the father with the knife, saying that the father...

The father lived distant from a child aged 14 years. The judge found that the mother had demonstrated a willingness to facilitate a meaningful relationship with the father as the mother took a laptop into the child’s bedroom when the father...

  The parents separated before the child was born.  The child who was aged 7 years at the time of the hearing had lived with the mother for six years before a family court issued 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...

The child was aged 6 years at the time of the hearing, and had been previously cared for by the mother, father and paternal grandmother.  The mother was aged 16 years when the child was born,...

There was an order for two children aged 14 and 11 years to live with their father and have supervised contact with their mother.  The mother applied to change orders so that the children live with...

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...

A separated couple had 2 children aged 10 and 12 years. The children had been exposed to 5 years of bitter dispute between the parents. The mother alleged the father had a mental health condition that...

The case involved allegations that the father had participated in sexual abuse with children aged 7 and 6 years at the time of the hearing.  The parents separated after the mother expressed concern about the way the...

A child aged 5 years displayed disturbed and defiant behaviours that both parents found difficult to manage (child’s behaviour).  The parents had parenting styles that differed (parenting styles differ) and held different views about the cause of...

There was a dispute between both parents of boys aged 10 and 6 years and the paternal grandparents.  The parents had resolved that neither boy spend time with their grandparents following a series of incidents.  Incidents...

The case involved two boys, C aged 8 and T aged 4 years.  Ms J was the mother of both boys, from different fathers Mr T and Mr C.  The boys lived with their maternal grandparents ...

Parents separated after a child was born, and the mother moved with the child to live with her parents.  There was entrenched conflict between the father and maternal family (intractable conflict).  The mother then contracted cancer...

A mother left the father when the child was aged 6 months and moved to a distant location overseas (relocate).  The parents disputed residence of the child.  When the child was aged 5 years a judge...

The case involved two children aged 7 and 4 years.  The father applied for the children to live with him and to be cared for by his parents while he was at work. The husband had...

A couple cohabited for about ten years before separating, had two daughters aged 11 and 9 years at the time of the hearing, and had engaged in legal proceedings for 5 years after separation.  The father...

Parents had 3 children aged between 9 and 13 years.  Both parents had health worker qualifications.  There had been conflict before the court for 6 years with 3 final orders having been issued over time.  Each...

The couple had twins aged 6 years at the time of the hearings.  The couple separated when the twins were 7 months old, and the twins lived with the mother and spent time with the father. ...

Following their separation, a mother alleged that their child had been subject to sexual abuse by the father.  The child was aged 9 years at the time of later hearings. In an initial hearing the judge...

Parents disputed arrangements for a 10 year girl who had lived with her mother and who objected to spending time with her father (reluctant to contact).  Evidence was presented that there was a history of family...

The parents separated with a child aged 8 years.  The mother left the home with the child and moved to a secret location after alleging domestic violence and alcohol abuse by the father.  The mother was concerned...

A couple were married for 4 years before separation, with 2 children aged 10 and 7 years.   Both parents had re-married. One daughter had special needs due to a global developmental delay, and she received regular...

Both parents made reciprocal allegations (mutual accusations) that the other had abused their children aged 8 and 9 years.  The mother alleged that the father sexually abused the children by actions outlined below.  The father alleged...

The judge noted that a meaningful relationship is not an optimal relationship.  ...Read More

A mother left a relationship when the son was aged 6 months and moved to a distant location overseas. The judge ordered a shared care arrangement where the boy was to live with his mother and to spend...

A mother alleged that she had been subjected to family violence and took two children aged 8 and 6 years to visit members of her extended family overseas.  The mother returned only because of a court...

Two children aged 8 and 11 years had lived with their mother and spent only sporadic time with their father over a period of 4 years (contact limited involvement).  Evidence was presented that the mother had impeded contact...

The case involved an appeal by a mother against orders made by a trial judge.  The couple separated after being together for 7 years and having two children.  In 2000 a judge ordered that the children...

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 a son aged 9 years at the time of judgement.  The couple had lived separately under the same roof for a period.   The father ceased being the earner for the household following a...

A couple had two children aged 7 and 5 years who had lived with the mother.  The mother had declined to facilitate contact with the father because of the father’s history of family violence including verbal...

A couple had an order for shared care. The mother then applied to relocate with three children aged 10, 8 and 5 years to a town 78km away. The trial judge allowed the relocation. The father...

The mother had obtained work in an overseas country and had relocated with the young child to that country by consent for 2 years.  The child travelled to see the father each month for two years. ...

Two brothers aged 14 years and 11 years 3 months lived with their mother and expressed a wish to live with their father, with the mother opposing their wish (child’s wishes). Evidence was given that the...

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...

The Family Law Act refers to ‘reasonable grounds to believe.’  The judge found that facts that provide reasonable grounds for a suspicion or belief do not lead to a positive finding of abuse or violence. Probability...

Parents separated when the child was 3 weeks old, and the hearing was held while the child was an infant.  The mother asserted that she had no support network in the city and applied to relocate...

Parties migrated to Australia from a nearby country and had children.  When the parents separated they agreed that the children remain with the mother provided that she remained in Australia.  Two years later the mother wanted...

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...

Legislation in Australia allows people to apply for three types of intervention that affect family members: a parenting order from a Family Law Court (Family Circuit Court) a child protection order from a Children’s Court an...

COAG – Levels of Parenting The Council of Australian Governments COAG considered child protection matters in 2009 after state governments expressed concern about the increasing numbers of children being removed from the care of their birth...