COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT PARENTING PLANS AND PARENTING ORDERS EXPLAINED
Some families work well without any formalised parenting agreements. However, the majority of families require some sort of documented time for the child or children to move between the two homes. Every family is different and your Parenting Plan needs to be as unique as you! Here are some frequently asked questions about Parenting Plans.
Why have a Parenting Plan? There are four great reasons to create a parenting plan: 1. Creates a formal understanding of arrangements, time and responsibilities for each parent 2. Structure and routine for the child 3. Can reduce the number of disagreements about time with the child 4. Can be updated when your circumstances change
Unsure what to include in the Parenting Plan? Divorce Answered’s Parenting Plan is comprehensive with suggested clauses that you can click and include. The click the clause plan is quick and easy – simple select the clause that suits your situation. If the suggested clauses don’t suit your situation, you can create your own!
What if I want to include my own clause? Easy! Create and amend you own clauses. If you change your mind after creating a new clause, you have the option to delete it.
How many changes can I make? Unlimited changes. You can send to your lawyer for feedback and tweak your plan as needed
Aren’t Parenting plans are expensive? Some Parenting Plans can be expensive, especially if your lawyer creates it or if there are lots of changes. The Divorce Answered Parenting Plan caps your costs and allows you to manage the time and expense spent on the plan
What is the difference between a ‘plan’ and an ‘order’? A plan is an agreement. An Order is an agreement that is lodged at court and made a formality. The challenge of having an agreement and not an order is that if one person decides to not abide by the agreement, nothing can be done to ‘course correct’.
Why create an Order and not just have a Plan? When there is an Order in place and when something goes wrong, say one parent doesn’t abide by the orders, there are opportunities to breach the other parent or call upon the Courts to step in an assist in more severe situations.
How do I make the plan ‘Binding’? You can fill out the family courts “orders by consent” or as an “application in the case.” In the form and fees section and lodge your plan with the form by consent or as a sole application.
What about the financial costs of raising a child? If you have a child under the age of 18 years, you should register for Child Support. Child Support is a minimum contribution towards the cost of raising a child and is based on a formula as set by CSA. If you want to address the extra costs, like schooling, medical expenses and more, of raising a child you can couple you Parenting Plan with a Binding Child Support Agreement for extra certainty to financial responsibilities. Learn more about Binding Child Support Agreements here.
Do you have a question that isn’t here? If you have extra questions about Parenting Plans that you would like to see added to this list, please send your suggestion via the Contact Us page
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