Posted on August 26, 2022
It’s the most wonderful time of the year so they say, but it can also be one of the most stressful for making arrangements about where your children will spend time over the Christmas break and long summer holidays if you are separated.
With 2022 being the first summer holiday for when travel plans both here and overseas feel like they are back to full swing, it is important to plan for your children’s holidays to save yourself one headache in the lead up to Christmas.
Balancing the different traditions and dates of celebrations of two separated parents, being able to book anything from a camping holiday or one involving air travel, usually involves planning months in advance.
Sometimes parenting plans or consent orders need the travelling parent to provide notice in order for the other parent to agree. Where passports are needed, both parents in separated families have to approve issuing the passport, which can add to the time it takes to get a passport.
Where there is a disagreement, family lawyers are typically snowed under (pardon the pun!) in the lead up to Christmas, so to ensure that your plans go smoothly plan ahead, we recommend following the tips below:
- Start now!
- Look at your parenting plan or parenting orders if you have one to see what your agreement states. These written documents can be varied by agreement, so start at the next step if you would like to make changes.
- Contact your former partner in writing to set out the dates and arrangements. This can be useful to do even to confirm your arrangements, which will prompt the other parent to think about their plans.
- Consider what type of holiday you are planning to take and if your parenting plan or consent orders has notice periods for the other parent for interstate or overseas travel, or alternatively, in relation to obtaining passports. Many children’s passports have expired as they usually only last 5 years and we have had 2 years of closed borders.
If you are having difficulty reaching agreement on your plans:
- Consider speaking with a Family Dispute Resolution mediator. Local centres are available, and private mediations also provide a similar service, often with reduced waiting times. We are able to recommend private providers.
- Consider formalising your parenting agreement, if you have not already either after your mediation, or with your lawyer.
- Seek legal advice if you need to.
The family law team at Scanlan Carroll can provide advice on all family law matters including property and parenting. Contact our friendly team on (03) 9853 0311.
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