Father’s Day is an important time for many families to come together and celebrate the special bond they share, and for many dads who are divorced it can be even more important.
We see so many dads stepping up and getting involved, and we know from long-term research that where there’s a positive father-child relationship, the children have better outcomes socially, emotionally and academically.
These days the law is clear that parents should have shared parental responsibility for their children and that old models of ‘child custody’ are just not as relevant anymore.
Father’s Day, by its very nature, is a special day for dads and children to be with each other, and it can be extra important after a divorce or separation.
If a family does feel it’s important for dad to see his kids on Father’s Day, dads should be very conscious to make sure there are contact arrangements in place for that day in the parenting orders.
If dads haven’t made provision for it, there’s no law that says fathers will have their children on Father’s Day and they could find they’ve been left out.
Unlike Christmas day, when there could be any combination of arrangements between both parents, Father’s Day was usually a ‘given’ time reserved for dads.
In other words, Father’s Day is one day that dads should have contact with their kids, unless of course it’s not in the best interests of the kids to do so.
Ideally, parents would be flexible and sensitive to their children’s needs, but to avoid potential conflict or disappointment it is best to have orders that are clear.
The contents of this blog post are considered accurate as at the date of publication. However the applicable laws may be subject to change, thereby affecting the accuracy of the article. The information contained in this blog post is of a general nature only and is not specific to anyone’s personal circumstances. Please seek legal advice before acting on any of the information contained in this post.
