What Is A Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is a written agreement that outlines how you and your former partner will individually care for your children after seperation.
The parenting plan can cover all the details of the parent's and children's daily lives. You can include as much detail as you think is required to help you make the new shared parenting arrangement work.
What's In A Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is likely to include:
- Where you and your former partner will live
- Where your children will live and for what periods of time
- Who is responsible for transportation between houses
- Who they can see
- What schools they will go to
- Arrangements for school and public holidays
- Religious and cultural upbringing
- Doctor and medical needs
- Financial support
You may also want to include information on family values that will guide you both while taking care of your children e.g. that your children have the right to be loved and cared for by both parents and should never be made to choose between parents.
It is also beneficial to outline how you will settle disagrements e.g. you may agree to first try to sort things out through informal communciation away from the children and if that isn't successful to then bring in a mediator.
Is A Parenting Plan Legally Binding?
A parenting plan is not a legally enforceable agreement. To make it into a legal document you can make an application to the Courts to have it approved and made into a Consent Order.
How Do I Turn My Parenting Plan Into Consent Orders?
| 1. |
Complete a Consent Order application form from the Family court. |
| 2. |
You may need to include a signed statement from an approved family and child counsellor stating that they helped you develop the plan or signed statements from separate lawyers showing that each parent has had independent legal advice on the meaning and effect of the plan. |
| 3. |
File the completed documents with the family law registry nearest you. There is no fee to register a plan and you will not need to attend court. |
To download a Consent Orders kit
click here, for more information on Consent Orders you can call the family court on 1300 352 000 or visit the
Family Law court website.
What If We Want To Change Our Parenting Plan?
An unregistered plan can be changed at any time to suit your needs. Once your plan has been turned into Consent Orders the only way to officially change your plan is to withdraw your current plan and lodge a whole new plan.
Nonetheless once a plan is registered, there is no reason why you and your former partner can not be flexible with arrangements as long as you're both in agreement.
Are Their Tools To Help Me With A Parenting Plan?
Two Homes has developed an online organiser and communication tool that helps parents to plan the parenting arrangements for their children. The Organiser has an easy to use wizard that enables you to set up routines for your children and prompts you to think about exceptions to the routines such as birthdays, public and school holidays.
To learn more about the Two Homes Organiser click here.
What Is Co-Parenting?
Co-parenting after separation occurs when children spend large amounts of time in both homes with both parents and their extended families. It means that kids have both mother and father directly involved in the decisions and activities that contribute to their health, welfare and development.
To Read More About Co-Parenting Click Here
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