Monroe and Purdue

The matter of Monroe and Purdue came before Aldridge J, concerning parenting arrangements for a child. The dispute involved the mother and father, and the court was tasked with making orders regarding their interactions with the child and each other, as well as the child's time with each parent.

The court was required to determine several issues, including the method of parental communication, the mother's engagement with therapeutic interventions, the attendance of parents at medical appointments, and specific arrangements for the child's time with the mother, including supervised contact and adjustments to existing orders. The court also considered the father's provision of necessary authorisations for supervised contact and the mother's consent for her therapist to communicate with medical professionals or the Independent Children's Lawyer regarding her progress.

Aldridge J made orders reflecting a structured approach to parental communication and involvement in the child's care. The parties were directed to use a specific application for all parental communications and to enrol in it within seven days. The mother was to engage in the Circle of Security course and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), continuing her existing treatment. Medical appointments were to be attended by only one parent, except in emergencies, and scheduled outside the father's ordinary working hours to allow for reasonable opportunity for attendance. Specific adjustments were made to the child's time with the mother for January and Mother's Day, with provisions for supervision by approved individuals or the maternal grandmother. The father was ordered to provide written authority for supervised time at a particular venue. The mother was to authorise her DBT therapist to communicate with Dr E or the Independent Children's Lawyer about her progress after completing three months of therapy, and the Independent Children's Lawyer was authorised to share a report from Dr E with the DBT therapist. The court also noted agreed variations to some of the orders concerning the timing and supervision of the child's time with the mother.