How to split contact time?
A recent court decision looked at how the parents should share time with their 7 year old daughter. The parents agreed on the amount of time the child should spend with each of them but asked the court to make a decision about whether the time would be in one block period or split over the fortnight.
The parents agreed that the child should ‘live with’ the mother and spend 5 nights per fortnight with the father. The father sought that the time be split over the fortnight with the child spending each alternate weekend with him, and then from Wednesday to Friday in the other week. The mother wanted the time to be one block period of 5 nights in a row. There was evidence that the child was a highly anxious child, and the mother was concerned that the “chopping and changing” arrangement would increase her anxiety. The father said that the child would be more anxious if she was not able to see the father for 9 days straight (under the mother’s proposal).
The court ordered that the time be split, with the child to spend 3 nights in the first week and 2 nights in the second week with the father. The judge stated that this would help the father to be involved in the child’s day to day life, including homework and with her friends.