Director General, Department of Family and Community Services and Adams & Anor

This matter concerned an application by the Director General, Department of Family and Community Services, concerning the parental responsibility and living arrangements for two children, C and O. The Father, Mr Adams, and the Mother, Ms Condon, were the other parties involved. The case was heard by Bell J.

The court was required to determine the appropriate orders regarding parental responsibility for the children, specifically concerning their long-term and day-to-day care, welfare, and development, as well as their residence and the time they would spend with each parent. Further issues included the nature and supervision of the Mother's time with the children, communication protocols between the parents, and the exchange of information regarding the children's health and education.

Bell J ordered that the Father have sole parental responsibility for the long-term and day-to-day care, welfare, and development of the children, with the exception of residence and the time the children spend with the Mother. Parental responsibility for residence and the children's time with the Mother was to be exercised jointly by the Father and the Minister for Family and Community Services until each child turned 12, thereafter solely by the Father. The children were ordered to live with their Father. The Mother was to spend supervised time with the children, with specific provisions for the frequency, duration, and supervision arrangements, including the potential involvement of professional contact supervision services or contact centres. The court also made detailed orders regarding communication between the parents, the provision of information about the children's health and education, and restraints on the Mother's conduct during her time with the children. A report from the Director-General was to be prepared in 12 months to review the arrangements for the children's time with the Mother.