Parenting Your Children

Parenting and Decision-Making

Above all else, your children are your highest priority. The revised Divorce Act, in force since March 1, 2021, changed the previous terminology of “Access” and “Custody” to “Parenting” and “Decision-Making”.

Parenting relates to the schedule by which a child resides with each parent. Decision-Making relates to the responsibility for making major decisions about a child’s care and upbringing, such as:

• Their schooling
• Their place of residence
• The medical treatments or regimes they will receive
• Their religious practice

Parenting and Decision-Making issues need not be complex, but at times they may involve difficult conversations. Parents and children alike may have experienced traumatic situations leading up to the separation, and this can show up in many ways. The net effect may be complex grief, which adds a layer of discussion during mediation as the family mediator gradually brings the spouses to a point where they can work towards a resolution. The time and effort required to complete a Parenting Plan in family mediation varies with the circumstances of the spouses and children. In addition to the family mediator, a “voice of the child” report may be sought to help bring forward the children’s wishes.