Child Custody

Child custody is the term used to describe the arrangements made between parents, or imposed by a court, as to how the parents will care for their children. Child custody is not the current “legal terminology” for these arrangement but it is commonly used. Arrangements can be complex and include arrangements for special days (ie Christmas, birthdays,), school holidays and during school term if your children are attending school.

Each family is different and consideration to the unique circumstances is important when talking about an appropriate child custody arrangement.

What child custody is

Child custody stems from the Family Law Act and relates to how much time children spend with each of their parents. The Court can also make orders for children to spend time with other significant people in their lives such as grandparents.

If you are going through a divorce or separation and have children, child custody will be something you’ll need to consider moving forward.

What you can do

If you are thinking about the future of your children’s custody, it is best to seek legal advice. As a parent, you will also need to take into account a number of considerations for your child’s welfare, and these include long-term parenting responsibilities such as education, religion, health and living arrangements.

In most cases, it is important for the parents to share the parenting responsibilities either equally. Unless there is an order made under the Family Law Act for a different method of dividing the parental responsibilities, due to circumstances such as domestic violence, parents generally share this responsibility.

Whatever the decision, it is important that the children’s best interests are at the root of any solution.

How you can help

You can speed up the child custody decision by working with your former partner and lawyers to make sure your children’s best interests are at heart.

By preparing your case, your lawyer will help you with a number of factors the court will consider in the decision making process, which include having both parents involved in their lives, protecting the children from harm and having adequate parenting to help them achieve their full potential.

Feeling overwhelmed? Our team of lawyers at Family Law Group Solicitors can give you expert advice and help you make the best decision for the future of your family. Contact us today to arrange a consultation.