Separation can be a challenging time for anyone and it can be further complicated when children are involved. Family lawyers have a critical role in helping people create post-separation plans so that the wellbeing of their children is prioritised.
One of the responsibilities that family lawyers Melbourne take is helping the clients decide how the parental responsibilities are allocated. Some of the factors that have to be considered here are the age of the child, their development needs and whether each parent has an ability to provide a supportive environment with stability to the child. It can be quite challenging to find how parental responsibilities can be shared. The goal of this process is to ensure the best interests of the child. Every family will not be the same and their circumstances will be unique.
Therefore, the post-separation plan has to suit the needs of the client. They will carry out thorough consultations with the client to understand how the family dynamic works along with the work schedules of the parent. They will learn what the routines of the child area. By compiling all this information and analysing it, the family lawyers will be able to develop a detailed parental plan that addresses many aspects such as authority for decision making, visitation schedules and protocols for communication between the parents.
Mediation is a method that many families will use to resolve post-separation plan
But there are situations where mediation is not sufficient and that the matter goes to the court. In both of these situations, the family lawyers will support the parents and offer their guidance so that their client is able to articulate their needs and concerns. There Aare cases where it is not possible to resolve things in an amicable manner and the family lawyers will advocate for the interests of their client in court so that a fair outcome can be achieved. An important part of the family lawyer’s role is helping in the formation of parenting orders. These are legally binding. This will outline what each parent will have as responsibilities. Some of the things that are included here will be where the child will live and how much time they will spend with each parent. The unique circumstances of the family will be taken into account when forming these parenting orders.
By guiding the process of parenting orders
Family lawyers will be able to establish a framework of stability for the child after the separation. However, there can be instances when the parenting order is breached one party. In this case, the family lawyers can step in and advice the other person on how they can proceed with the right course of action. This allows them to address these breaches whether it is related to communication, decision making, visitation schedules etc. This will ensure the best interests of the child are protected and that the arrangements that the parents agreed on previously are adhered to by both parties.
