Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Family law issues and schools: guidance for Australian educators
Other Titles:	International Journal of Law and Education
Authors:	Perkins, Kylie Cooper, Donna Maree Couper, Gary
Year:	2012
Citation:	No 1 Vol.: 17
Notes:	A substantial number of Australian children are now living in separated families, with many moving betweentheir parents’ homes. This has led to educators being confronted with an increasing number of family lawissues. This article discusses the key aspects of family law that involve children. It highlights the need forschools to be aware of all family law orders that relate to children in their care, including family court,domestic violence and child protection orders. It also provides guidance in relation to how schools canadopt child focused approaches in some common scenarios, where parents are in dispute. In particular, wewill recommend that educators take a child-focused approach, consistent with the principal provision of theFamily Law Act 1975 (Cth) that ‘the best interests of the child’ be the paramount consideration. We willhighlight how this contrasts starkly with what can be described as a ‘parental rights’ interpretation, whichhas unfortunately been taken by some since the 2006 amendments to the Family Law Act, and is, in our view,directly at odds with the intention of the legislation.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/14742
ISSN:	18369030
Physical description:	Pages 23-38
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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