Thackeray and Rand

This matter concerned parenting orders for a child, X, born in 2006, between the Mother and the Father. The court was required to determine the arrangements for the child's long-term care, welfare, and development, as well as the specific time the child would spend with each parent.

The court was asked to determine the extent of parental responsibility for significant long-term decisions concerning the child, the daily care arrangements, and the specific schedule for the child to spend time with the Father. Additionally, the court needed to establish protocols for communication between the parents regarding the child and for the child's communication with the non-resident parent.

The court ordered that previous parenting orders be discharged. The Mother was granted sole parental responsibility for long-term decisions regarding the child's care, welfare, and development, with the requirement to consult the Father on matters such as education, religion, culture, health, name changes, and significant changes to living arrangements. The Mother was made responsible for the child's day-to-day care when the child was with her, and the Father was similarly responsible when the child was with him. The child was ordered to live with the Mother. The Father was to spend time with the child on alternate weekends, specific school holidays, and on Father's Day, with detailed provisions for the division of school holidays and special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. The court also established communication protocols, including email for non-urgent matters and specific times for telephone contact, and stipulated that changeovers should ideally occur at the child's school. The Independent Children's Lawyer was discharged.