Parenting Matters

Following a relationship breakdown, the future care of any children can be significant source of stress and anxiety for both parents. Deciding on who will take the responsibility of being primary caregiver for the children, where they will attend school and what visitation arrangements will be established can prove incredibly complicated when parents don’t see eye-to-eye.

Under the law, both parties are required to make a genuine attempt to resolve their dispute via mediation before they can pursue court proceedings for parenting orders. There are, however, limited circumstances where a prior attempt at mediation is not required, such as in cases where there is evidence of family violence.

How we can help

At O’Sullivan Mediation, we specialise in helping disputing parents work cooperatively in the best interests of their children, rather than undergoing costly and emotionally taxing court proceedings. Pursuing mediation not only saves time, money and stress for both parties but also avoids a prolonged and acrimonious dispute that can negatively impact children caught between their parents.

Our mediation process will allow both parents to confidently speak their mind as whatever is discussed is completely confidential and cannot be used later in a courtroom.

If and when an agreement is reached regarding parenting arrangements, we are able to formalise this either in the form of consent orders or a specialised parenting plan. However, not every arrangement needs to be formalised if parents prefer to keep it more casual.

Both parties can decide whether or not they want to have their lawyer present during the mediation and this can be helpful for those who want legal reassurance.

When it comes to parenting matters, O’Sullivan Mediation is very much focused on ensuring that the best interests of the child are protected at all times. The aim is to encourage parents to come to a mutual understanding that, despite their personal grievances with one another, they should arrange a parenting strategy that is entirely focused around the welfare of their child or children.

We know that our approach to mediation is effective in helping disputing parents come to an arrangement that works best for them and their children. If you want to engage a mediator in order to address parenting matters, don’t hesitate to contact our team.