Vincent and Waldock

The case of *Vincent and Waldock* involved a dispute between the parents concerning parenting orders for their children, J and R. The matter came before Dessau J.

The court was required to determine the specific arrangements for each parent to spend time with and communicate with the children, J and R. This included defining the frequency and duration of weekend contact, school holiday arrangements, birthday and holiday contact, and telephone communication. The court also needed to address broader issues such as parental responsibility, the location of changeovers, the enrolment of the mother in a parenting course, and injunctions to prevent denigration of a parent and discussion of the proceedings in the children's presence.

Dessau J made orders by consent regarding the children living with each parent and the specific times each parent would spend with the children. These orders detailed extensive provisions for weekend contact, half of school term holidays, half of Christmas holidays, birthdays, Mother's Day and Father's Day, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The court also ordered that changeovers occur at a police station and that time spent with the children during school holidays be suspended for certain weekend periods. Further orders included the mother undertaking a parenting course, injunctions restraining denigration and discussion of the proceedings in the children's presence, and provisions for notification of illness and access to school reports. The court also noted its intention for the children to spend each weekend and whole of each school holiday period together and that both parties would use their best endeavours to facilitate the operation of the orders.