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What does it mean when... |
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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/Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner |
A person who helps your parents to make their own decisions around arrangements about their children, their house and other things they own |
| Court | A place where parents might go if they can't decide the details of their separation by themselves or even with the help of a Mediator/Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. 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/Family Relationship Centre |
A place where people get help to make decisions about things by a Mediator/Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. |
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 live together and love one another as husband and wife. People don't have to be married to live together (see 'de facto' relationship) |
Separation |
When two people or a family stop living together as a unit |
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 helps to pay for the things children need |
Parenting order |
When parents have the arrangements they have made about their children made legal in the court. This can be done by a judge making the decision for the parents by a court order or by the parents making the agreement themselves and having it stamped by the court turning the agreement into a Consent Order |
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 but both parents (including the parent you don’t live with) have the responsibility in deciding long-term issues for their children |
Interim order |
An interim order is made as a guideline for contact until the Judges or Federal Magistrates final decision is made |
| 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 |
Safety Plan
Weird words and what they mean