Family Law

Parenting Mediation

Let Us Help You Make Parenting Arrangements, The Wise Way.

Separation of any family is a very difficult time, not only for the parents, but also
and especially for the children. That is why exploring parenting mediation can offer constructive solutions for navigating co-parenting responsibilities.

Often parents find it difficult to directly discuss parenting issues and arrangements
with each other during a time where they are experiencing many of the emotions and
hardship following a separation.

The best thing separating parents can do for their children following a separation is
to provide the children with certainty and reassurance that they are not losing their
parents even though there is a separation.

This is often achieved by providing a structure for the children’s time with each parent
and parenting issues by mutual agreement of the parents, which has certainty and
predictability of how arrangements are made for the children yet also with common
sense flexibility so that the parents can both make changes from time to time as
mutually agreed as circumstances arrive.

A written agreement for parenting issues is the easiest way to provide parents and children
with the certainty and predictability to know what happens next, so that parents can have
things organised to make things flow smoothly for the children, and help restore peace in
the lives of their children, despite the separation.

Our Wise Mediators

Our Wise Mediators are Nationally Accredited with the Federal Attorney
General’s Department as Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners (FDRP).

This means that our Wise Mediators can provide parenting mediation services under the
Family Law Act (Cth), which also includes providing a Section 60I Certificate which is a
requirement by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) prior to
commencing family law proceedings, should the parenting
issues not be settled at mediation.

However, at Wise Mediations we are dedicated in helping separated parents
during this difficult time of separation to identify the parenting issues and help
the parents to come up with different options and reach an agreement that
is in the best interests of the children.

If you both reach an agreement at mediation, then Wise Mediations can provide you with a draft of your parenting agreement, incorporating a parenting plan mediation approach or parenting orders by consent.

A draft parenting orders by consent document draft can then be filed online
by the parties with the Family Court seeking the orders be made by the
Registrar of the Court without the need to attend Court.

The Reality of Family Court

Many people think that going to Court is the only way to resolve parenting issues, however many parents become disillusioned with the court system with the delays, expensive legal fees, and uncertainty. Fortunately, an alternative and effective approach to resolving such matters is through parenting mediation.

It is not uncommon that after the final Court hearing, the parenting order decided by the Family Court is not always what either parent originally sought, but by that time, it is usually too late as the decision has been made by the Court and both parents are then bound to the parenting order following the final hearing even if it is not like what either of the parents originally wanted when they filed court proceedings.

Before any court proceedings can be commenced in the recently amalgamated Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), the Court requires parents to make a genuine effort to engage in parenting mediation before a parenting application can be made to the court.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia usually cannot accept an application for family law parenting issues without a Section 60I Certificate being obtained from a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) which is required to be filed with any parenting application to the Court.

Why Mediate a Parenting Dispute
with our Parenting Mediations?

At Wise Mediations, we offer separated parents a calm, comfortable, and non-confrontational atmosphere for discussing parenting issues. Our Wise Mediator facilitates these important discussions in an organized and structured parenting mediation process.

We work with each of you to empower you to identify the parenting issues, work through the options and come to an agreement that is in the best interests of the children, which you can both live with, “The Wise Way”.

We help you both focus on the future and solutions so you can move forward, rather than going backwards and creating more conflict and blame which only makes things worse.

If a settlement is reached, then we can provide a draft of that settlement agreement reached at mediation in the form of a draft Final Parenting Orders by Consent which the parties can then take the necessary steps to have made into orders by the Registrar of the Family Court at the mutual request of the parties.

Otherwise, we can provide you both with a draft Parenting Plan which the parties can use as a written agreement of the parenting arrangements mutually reached at mediation.

Got An Urgent Parenting Dispute?

Our Fast-Track Mediation Service can convene an urgent parenting
mediation in as little as 5 business days ^{*conditions apply}

^{*if the matter is suitable for urgent mediation, and within 5 business days of the parties agreeing to mediate}

We Understand the Needs of
Separated Families

At Wise Mediations, we understand the needs of separated families, including separated families that due to their occupations are away often from home and/or need to work shift work.

Our experienced Wise Mediators can help separated families, with unique circumstances, come up with workable options through parenting mediation. This ensures that the children have the best opportunities to have a meaningful relationship with each parent.

We also provide an tailored service for:

Mediation for
Separated Military Families

At Wise Mediations we understand that military families that have separated have unique circumstances due to military service postings of a parent or both parents if they are both in the military, and issues of deployments.

Our Wise Mediators have experience in identifying the issues that go hand in hand with military service and can help you both with options that have worked successfully for other military members that have separated, that you can both consider for your situation.

We can help you with a draft of a Parenting Plan or Parenting Orders by Consent that deal specifically with the issues of military postings and/or military deployments so that parenting arrangements can best be made for the children so that they can maintain a meaningful relationship with each of their parents despite separation.

Mediation for Separated FIFO Families

At Wise Mediations we understand that Fly-In Fly-Out (“FIFO”) families that have separated have unique circumstances due to their unusual work rosters and remote working locations.

Our Wise Mediators have experience in identifying the issues that go hand in hand with FIFO employment requirements and help you both with options that have worked successfully for other FIFO families that have separated, that you can both consider for your situation.

We can help you with a draft of a Parenting Plan or Parenting Orders by Consent that deal specifically with the issues of FIFO employment work rosters and remote locations, so that parenting arrangements can be best made for the children so they can maintain a meaningful relationship with each of their parents despite separation.

Separated First Responder Families

First Responder families are those that have either one parent or both parents that work for First Responders services such as Police, Ambulance, Fire Fighting, Medivac, ER, or Border Security.

At Wise Mediations we understand that First Responder families that have separated have unique circumstances due to service requirements such as service postings and rotating shift rosters of a parent or both parents if they are both work as First Responders, and the stress of the nature of their work and following a family separation.

Our Wise Mediators have experience in identifying the issues that go hand in hand with First Responder service and can help you both with options that have worked successfully for other First Responder service members that have separated, that you can both consider for your situation.

We can help you with a draft of a Parenting Plan or Parenting Orders by Consent that deal specifically with the issues of First Responder postings and/or work deployments so that parenting arrangements can best be made for the children so that they can maintain a meaningful relationship with each of their parents despite separation.

Book a 20 minute Free
Chat With a Wise Mediator

Drafting Your Parenting Agreement

We can provide the draft of the agreement at the conclusion of mediation so you can both formalise your parenting agreement reached at mediation, either as a Parenting Plan draft or Parenting Consent Orders document draft.

We can help you decide which document may be the best draft for both of you to use to resolve your parenting dispute by mutual agreement. We can provide you with more information as to the benefits of each method so you can both decide what works best for your situation.

What’s the Difference Between a
Parenting Plan and Parenting Orders ?

Parenting Plans

A Parenting Plan is a written agreement between parents which is recognised under the Family Law Act (1975) Cth, which provides the terms of the parenting arrangements in a document which is not binding like a court order, but it is still considered to be evidence that can be relied upon as the agreed parenting arrangements for children should a dispute arise in the future regarding the children.

A Parenting Plan is good for parents that just want to put it in writing without the formality of it being a court order. A Parenting Plan can also be updated as things settle in following a separation and re-negotiated in the future as circumstances change.

Parenting Consent Orders

A Parenting Consent Order is an agreement between the parents which provides the terms of the parenting arrangements in a document which can be filed online with the Registry of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (or Family Court of Western Australia), asking for parenting orders to be made by the Registrar, without having to go to court or start court proceedings. It’s a court order without going to court and can only be done by mutual consent of the parents.

Once the proposed parenting consent orders are accepted by the Registrar of the Court, it is made a Parenting Court Order by Consent and becomes binding by law as a parenting consent order.

Let Us Mediate Your Parenting
Dispute, The Wise Way

The Wise Way.

Reaching an Agreement

Let our Wise Mediators help you resolve your dispute, The Wise Way

So you can have certainty and predictability for your children as their parents. So that your kids can get on with just being kids.

Help your children be the best they can be with mediation to resolve your parenting dispute, “The Wise Way”.

Family Law

Parenting Mediation

Let Us Help You Make Parenting Arrangements, The Wise Way.

Our Wise Mediators

The Reality of Family Court