Weird words and what they mean

We have grouped the word. Click on a group below if you know what you're looking for. Otherwise just scroll down until you find the word and it's meaning.

What does it mean when...

People who can help
Places
Words used when parents separate
People around you
Best interests of the child

People who can help

Family counsellor	A person who helps families to work on and solve their problems
Judge or Federal Magistrate	A person who knows a lot about the law and makes decisions for people e. g. about where the children will mainly live and other family matters
Lawyer	A person who understands the law. Their job is to help parents to understand the laws of separation and divorce and to help the parents to do what he or she thinks is the best for you
Mediator	A person who helps your parents to make arrangements about their children, their house and other things they own

Places

Court	A place where parents might go if they can't decide the details of the separation by themselves. Sometimes the Judge or Federal Magistrate makes a decision for them. Going through court can take a long time. Usually kids don't have to go to court but a child's representative might want to talk with the children to find out what they want
Mediation Centre	A place where people get help to make decisions about things
Contact Centre	A place where children, whose parents have separated, can meet with the parent they are no longer living with

Words used when parents separate

Divorce	A legal action two married people take to end their marriage
Marriage	A legal agreement that allows two people to formally live together. People don't have to be married to live together (see 'de facto' relationship)
Separation	When two people or a family stop living together
De facto relationship	When people live together without being married it's called a 'de facto' relationship
Child support	Money that one parent gives to the other parent that pays for the things children need
Parenting order	When parents have the arrangements they have made about their children made legal in the court
Spend time with	The time kids have with the parent they are not living with or other important people in their life (e.g. grandparents). Contact can be face to face, by phone, e-mail, letter or SMS.
Parenting plan	A written agreement signed by parents that describes how they will care for their children
Property settlement	An agreement made by parents that divides things they own, for example car, house, and furniture
Live with	The parent who the children 'live with' is the parent who the children mainly live with
Shared Parental Responsibility	This means that both parents have the same responsibility for their children, if this is safe. The children might still live mainly with one of the parents.
Interim order	An interim order is made as a guideline for contact until the Judges or Federal Magistrates final decision is made

People around you

Stepparent	Your Mum or Dad's new partner who lives with you
Half brother or half sister	You parent and step-parent's child
Stepsister or stepbrother	Your step-parent's child
Significant others	People in your life that are important to you, and who make you feel secure and loved

Best interests of the child

Lots of people talk about this. It means that people making decisions must consider what is best for you and other children involved when your parents separate. The court doesn't want to make one rule for everyone because they realise everyone's different. So they are concenred about what's best for each individual child. Click here to read more.