FONT & BANTON

In *Font & Banton*, Ms Font, the applicant mother, and the respondent father sought final parenting orders concerning their child, T. The primary dispute revolved around the father's psychiatric illness and its implications for his time with T, with expert evidence recommending supervised contact and T himself expressing a wish for supervised time. The matter came before Barry J in the Family Court of Australia.

The court was required to determine the nature and extent of the time the child, T, should spend with his father, given the father's diagnosed psychiatric illness, the expert recommendations for supervised contact, and the child's stated wishes. The court also needed to consider the terms of communication and contact between the father and child, and address the costs of the Independent Children's Lawyer.

Barry J considered the unchallenged reports of two forensic psychiatrists, which indicated the father suffered from a significant psychiatric disorder, likely intermittent psychotic episodes on a background of schizoaffective and/or personality disorder. These reports noted the father's unusual beliefs, lack of insight, and diminished judgment, leading to a recommendation for continued supervised access. The court accepted this expert opinion, noting the father's co-operative presentation and affection for his son. Crucially, the court also took into account the child's expressed wish for supervised time.

The court ordered that T live with the mother and that the mother have sole parental responsibility. T was to spend time with the father subject to conditions agreed between the parents, or at T's election if he wished to see his father, supervised or unsupervised. In the absence of T initiating contact, T was to spend two hours every seven weeks with the father, supervised at a contact centre. The orders also facilitated communication between T and his father via telephone, email, text, and letters, and allowed the father to send gifts. The court also directed the Independent Children's Lawyer to make submissions regarding costs.