WELTON & WELTON

In the matter of *Welton & Welton*, heard before Judge Williams, the court considered parenting and property disputes between the parties. The parenting dispute centred on whether the father posed an unacceptable risk to the children, necessitating orders for supervised time. The property dispute involved a modest asset pool and the wife's claim for an adjustment based on her role as primary carer and consideration of contributions and future needs.

The court was required to determine the parenting arrangements for the children, X and Y, specifically addressing the father's mental health and the potential risk he posed to their safety. This included deciding on the extent and nature of contact the father would have with the children, and whether such contact should be supervised. In relation to property, the court had to divide the parties' assets, considering the wife's contributions as the primary carer, the children's young ages, the father's lack of child support payments since separation, and the disparity in the parties' future earning capacities.

The court reasoned that due to the father's mental health concerns, as evidenced by psychiatric assessments and a family report, there was an unacceptable risk to the children, leading to orders for supervised time. The father was permitted limited telephone contact and supervised visits on specific dates, with the wife having sole parental responsibility and the children living with her. In the property division, the court found the wife's contributions to be 55% and the husband's 45%, taking into account her primary care of the children, the father's non-payment of child support, and the uncertainty of his future earning capacity. The court ordered the transfer of the family property to the wife, with her to refinance the mortgage or sell the property, and pay the husband a sum of $117,491. The court also made orders regarding international travel for the children, permitting the mother to apply for passports and for the children to travel internationally without the father's consent.