Mediation Services for Parenting Plans
Every relationship is worth saving. Sadly, there may be times when what you thought was your happy ending eventually becomes a chapter in your life that must come to a close. But separation is never easy, and the ones affected most in the aftermath are your children. So when separation becomes inevitable, and children are involved, the best thing you can do is to prepare your parenting plans while keeping their best interests at heart. At DIPAC, we offer professional parenting plan mediation to help you and your partner come to an agreement about your parenting arrangements. End things on amicable terms and make your children’s adjustment as comfortable as possible through our mediation services, available online Australia-wide or in-person in our Canberra office.
What is a Parenting Plan?
Also called a custody agreement, a parenting plan details timetables and parenting arrangements for children with separated parents, enabling them to feel more secure about what will come after the separation. For example, a parenting plan can contain the following:
- Financial arrangements, such as Child Support
- How to approach changes to the parenting plan
- Which parent your children will live with, and how much time they will spend with each parent
- Activities each parent can do with the children and whether both parent can agree to attend some important events together with the children
- How much time children can spend with extended family and significant others
- How to share parental responsibility and decision-making for big things
- How the children will stay in contact with the other parent and other people who are important to them
- How to agree on important, long-term issues as the children’s needs change and either parent’s circumstances change
What to Consider When Making a Parenting Plan
Parenting plans detail arrangements that are crucial for the care of your children. As such, these arrangements should be made with care and with the best interests of your children’s future in mind and with careful consideration of every possible scenario. That said, here are some things you must consider before making a parenting plan in Australia:
- The child’s age
- The child’s educational needs
- Which parent is best placed to provide their daily needs
- Practical considerations involving accommodation, transport and other expenses
- Special needs of the child (medical care and special educational needs)
- The child’s cultural needs (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander)
- The child’s views and safety
There are many more things to consider, and you will need to update the agreement as the child grows. Should parents need legal advice, we can also provide it as registered Mediators in Preventive Law. Moreover, should they need more than mediation, we can refer them to on of our legal associates.