Parenting arrangements over the Christmas holiday period

If you have not reached agreement and arrangements for spending time with your children for any upcoming Christmas holiday period, you need to act quickly.

The Family Court sets a deadline of 4.00 pm on the second Friday of November for applications to be filed for parenting matters regarding the Christmas holiday period to be filed.

Applications for parenting matters must be filed by the second Friday in November

Before an application for parenting matters can be filed in the Family Court, parties must comply with the pre-action procedure of attending Family Dispute Resolution (“FDR”).

In our blog, "What is Family Dispute Resolution”, we explore the process of FDR.

If FDR has been attended and no agreement reached, either party can request the mediator provide a Section 60I certificate demonstrating mediation has been attempted.

Parenting arrangements can be formalised by way of a parenting plan or parenting orders. The difference between parenting orders and parenting plans was explored in this blog.

Unless you have an exemption, an application for parenting matters cannot be filed in the Family Court without a Section 60I certificate.

There are both government-funded mediators and private mediators providing FDR mediation. Depending on which service you choose, the wait period can be anywhere from 4 weeks to 10 weeks.

If the Christmas period is approaching and you are seeking to formalise parenting arrangements, you should act quickly to ensure mediation can be arranged and an application filed with the Court.

Get help from a family lawyer

If you are considering parenting arrangements for the upcoming Christmas period, Meillon & Bright’s team of experienced family lawyers based in Sydney and Perth can assist you with:

• discussing your options for attending FDR;
• filing an application in Court;
• attending mediation;
• negotiating parenting arrangements; and
• advising you throughout your family law matter.