Equal Shared Care – Could it work for you?
Children cases are one of the most emotive a family lawyer has to deal with. Tensions can run especially high between parents when the arrangements and the welfare of their child becomes a topic for dispute.
As the shift in family relationships changes within our society so do the ideas surrounding the day to day care and responsibility of children. Traditionally many children have spent a large proportion of their time with their mother especially where the parent’s relationship has ended acrimoniously.
Fathers are now seeking a more equal share in the day to day care of their child and equal shared care arrangements are becoming more common place. These have previously been based on cases where parents have a good level of communication and have been able to work hand in hand to promote a child’s welfare.
The courts are however now catching up with the changes in society and in parental stances.
New steps forward are being made thanks to a recent decision in the Court of Appeal which swept aside these more traditional views. The case involved parties with complex communication issues due to allegations made against one another revolving around their behaviour in their prior relationship. Despite these communication issues it was felt that an equal shared care arrangement would be suitable as it was deemed to be in the child’s best interests.
If you would like to read further about the case mentioned above (RE L (Relocation: Second Appeal) [2017] EWCA Civ 2121) this can be found at “http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed187091”