Don’t let a breakdown in communication become a breakdown in your bond. We help you secure stable, fair arrangements so you can stop fighting and start parenting.
Separation is hard enough without fighting over time with your children. These situations often require legal intervention:
Disagreeing on where the children should live, who makes decisions about education, health, or religion, or how time is divided.
Your ex refuses to follow agreed arrangements, cancels visits, or uses the children as leverage against you.
Worries about the other parent's ability to care for the children, substance abuse, mental health issues, or exposure to unsafe environments.
A legally binding parenting order removes ambiguity and creates certainty for everyone. It establishes clear boundaries and expectations that both parents must follow.
Endless conflict hurts everyone, especially your children. Legal clarity creates the foundation for co-parenting that actually works.
Don’t let finances stop you from protecting your relationship with your children. With JustFund, we can secure your legal funding now and settle the bill only after your property settlement is finalised.
A clear, structured process designed to bring you peace of mind. We transform complexity into clarity, one step at a time.
We listen to your story, understand your goals, and provide honest advice about your options. No judgment, no pressure, just clarity on the best path forward.
We design a personalised legal roadmap to protect your assets, your children, and your future. Every strategy is tailored to your unique situation.
We negotiate on your behalf, working to reach agreements without unnecessary court battles. If litigation is necessary, we represent you at every hearing and fight for the arrangements you deserve.
We actively explore multiple routes to resolution, from direct negotiation to family dispute resolution to court intervention. Our goal is always the best outcome with the least conflict.
Whether it’s a consent order or a court-issued parenting order, we secure legally binding arrangements that protect your time with your children and create certainty for the future.
Book your consultation today and discover how the right legal partner can make all the difference.
Clear answers to the questions we hear most often. If you don’t see your question here, we’re happy to answer it during your consultation.
ADR stands for Alternative Dispute Resolution which includes a range of procedures and techniques to solve a legal issue to avoid the usual court proceedings. ADR for parenting arrangements can also be referred to as FDR – Family Dispute Resolution. It is often the more affordable and less stressful method to use for parenting arrangements and is a necessary process to undertake before filing for a Court order. ADR can result in a binding or non-binding agreement to resolve your conflict. Mediation and conciliation are the most common facilitative way of settling parenting arrangement disputes where a neutral party assists you to come to a resolution. The resolution is legally binding if all parties come to an agreement. It is then filed as a consent order. A parenting plan is an non legally binding outcome that can come of ADR, so it is important to bear this in mind. You should always engage legal advice from a family dispute lawyer about the ADR options available to you and what will best suit your needs. Talk to our team at VM Family Law to find out more.
Both legal parents have equal and shared responsibility for any of their born or adopted children under the age of 18. If parenting arrangements do reach Court proceedings, the judge presumes that equal responsibility of any children is in the best interests of your child.
This does not automatically translate into equal shared custody and does not mean you will both get equal access or amount of time with your child.
However, separating parents must first go through FDR before seeking a parenting order through the Court.
You are able to argue that one parent is not fit for equal custody in a parenting arrangement but this may not result in sole parental responsibility or access to your child.
This is a common misconception, there are no Australian laws that give mothers any extra rights. While statistics do show that after most parental separations, children do end up spending more time with their mothers, this is due to consensual parenting arrangements.
Splitting up siblings for a parenting arrangement is a rare occurrence. Just like equal parent responsibility, the Court assumes that keeping siblings together is also in the best interests of your children.
It would have to be under exceptional circumstances such as a safety concern or if a child themselves presents a compelling reason. This is very unlikely to persuade a family court judge however.
A consent order is filed through the Court after Family Dispute Resolution so your parenting arrangement becomes legally binding.
A Parenting Order is put in place when separated parents cannot come to an agreement during ADR and must go through formal Court proceedings in front of a judge.
A parenting plan is a less formal way to record an oral or written parenting arrangement formed during ADR. It is not legally binding but can be easier and cheaper if both parties can happily come to an agreement.
We recommend always seeking the advice of a family dispute lawyer, no matter what process you use for a parenting arrangement. Book a consultation with one of our family law specialists.
There is no fee to file a consent order with the Court. However, each party must pay their own individual fees for any legal services such as advice or representation from family lawyers that they have received.
If you break a parenting plan, you are not technically breaking the law however the other parent may take you to court and you may need to change your parenting arrangements and they will become legally binding.
A consent order or parenting order is enforced by the law and depending on which is required, a location order or recovery order may be filed if a parent does not comply with showing up for a child or returning the child. There may also be further penalties such as jail time.
Yes, text messages, social media posts and emails may all be used as evidence in Court as need be. For example, text messages may be used to show that one parent is abusing or ignoring the other when it comes to parenting arrangement matters.
However, you must keep in mind that irrefutable proof of the time, date, phone number must be given and screenshots are not viewed as reliable evidence.
Every day without a clear parenting agreement is a day of uncertainty for them, and stress for you. Let’s build a plan that brings stability back to your family.
