When you make decisions about your child their needs must come first and the most
important thing for you to consider is what is best for your child. Children have the right to
know both their parents and the right to be protected from harm. However, the safety of your
child(ren) must come first when considering your child’s best interest. These are important
things to think about. Other things you might want to think about include any views the child
has expressed, the child’s relationship with both of their parents and other people significant
to them (such as their grandparents) and any practical difficulties.
Equal shared parental responsibility
Except where there are issues of violence or abuse, the law presumes that it is in the best
interest of a child for the parents to have equal shared parental responsibility. This does not
mean that the child should spend equal time with each parent. Rather, equal shared parental
responsibility means that both parents have an equal role in making decisions about major
long-term issues that affect their children, such as schooling and health care.
If you agree to share parental responsibility, you will need to consult with each other and
make an effort to come to joint decisions about long-term issues. However, when the child is
spending time with you, you will not usually need to consult on decisions about things like
what the child eats or wears because these are not usually major long-term issues.
You may find it useful to include a process in your plan about how you are going to consult
with each other when you need to make decisions about long-term issues.
Equal time
If the child spending equal time with each of you is reasonably practicable, and in the best
interests of the child, you could consider an arrangement of this kind (eg the child spends
one week with you and the next week with the other parent)
Best interests of the child
