The cut-off for Family Court applications relating to parenting arrangements over the Christmas school holiday period is fast approaching, with the filing deadline set for 4:00pm on Friday 11 November 2022 – now less than two weeks away.
Per paragraph 34.1 of the Family Court of WA’s Case Management Guidelines, the cut-off for such applications is always 4:00pm on the second Friday in November every year.
However, paragraph 34.2 of the Case Management Guidelines states “Parties should be aware that applications filed prior to this date are not necessarily guaranteed to be listed or determined prior to the commencement of the relevant school holiday period.
Such applications should be filed as early as practicable to ensure an appropriate listing date.”
Only in exceptional circumstances such as urgency are applications filed after November 11 likely to be listed prior to Christmas.
Please note that before an application for parenting orders can be filed in the Family Court of Western Australia, parties must have a Section 60I Certificate confirming they have attempted Family Dispute Resolution (FDR), unless they are eligible to be exempt from the FDR requirement.
If you want to discuss your options for negotiating or formalising your parenting arrangements, our experienced Family Law team would be happy to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to contact our team.