Walmsley and Walmsley (No 2)

In *Walmsley and Walmsley (No 2)*, Dawe J made orders by consent between the mother and father concerning their children, S and E. The dispute involved arrangements for parental responsibility, living arrangements, and time spent between the father and the children, as well as mutual restraining orders and specific conditions for contact.

The court was required to determine the terms of orders relating to sole parental responsibility for the children, their primary residence, and the nature and supervision of the father's time with them. Additionally, the court needed to address mutual injunctions restraining the parties from certain conduct towards each other, including proximity restrictions, and to formalise arrangements for communication, handovers, and the children's education and holidays. Specific conditions were also to be imposed on the father's contact, including restrictions on alcohol and drug use, and physical discipline.

Dawe J's reasoning was based on the consent of both parties to the proposed orders. The court applied principles of family law by adopting the recommendations of a Family Assessment Report, which included the mother obtaining counselling for the children at her financial expense. The orders reflected a comprehensive approach to the children's welfare, incorporating supervised contact for the father, mutual restraining orders to ensure the safety of both parents, and a requirement for future disputes to be addressed through family dispute resolution. The court also discharged the Independent Children's Lawyer and removed the children's issues from the active pending list, signifying the finalisation of these arrangements by consent.