Lilly Pilly Blog
No one ever ‘wins’ in the Family Court system.
With court cases draging on for about two years before you see any resolution and costs ranging from $60k – 150k+, there is no surprise that only about 3% of cases actually reach a Final Hearing. The emotional toll durring this whole process can be super stressful and takes a real hit on everyone involved, especially the kids. Parents can easily become so absorbed with their own battles that they overlook the impacts on their children. It’s beneficial that you...
Grandparent’s Rights, Where does the law stand?
In most family dynamics, grandparents hold a cherished and important place in the lives of their grandchildren. Yet, when family dynamics shift due to separation, divorce, or other legal issues, these grandparents may struggle to staying connected. If you are worried about the immediate safety of your grandchild, you should contact the police and your local welfare agency. If you are in a situation where you are being refused access to your grandchild and/or grandchildren your first point of cal...
Connecting with teens during supervised contact.
Grunts of “I dont knows“ and “whatevers”, can be disheartening while you try to solidify your relationship. Being a non-resident parent may have you feeling on the outside. But the resident parent may also be feeling distant or disconnected from the teen which is typical when teens are developing independence. Do you remember your teen years? Navigating peer pressures and conflict, hormonal mood swings, discovering self identity and developing concepts of romantic relationships. Manage y...
Co-Parenting during the holiday season.
The holidays are supposed to be a fun filled time of the year. However, holidays can be significantly stressful for separated or blended families. Coordinating schedules for visitations and parenting time can be overwhelming. This is especially true if this is the first holiday for a family after a split. While the transition may be difficult, you can help reduce the amount of stress and potential anxiety and minimise disruption by considering some of these holiday co-parenting tips: Communicate...
How to deal with false claims.
Family law disputes can be emotionally charged. In certain circumstances, feelings of anger, resentment, or a desire for revenge can lead parents to make false allegations against their former partner. Such allegations can become a focal point during a hearing, impacting the legal process and the outcomes of custody and property settlements. Some individuals may make false accusations without realising the seriousness or potential consequences. There are different laws that are relevant to false...
Is it different for men?
The sad truth is, unfortunately the answer is yes! Everyone has the right to live without fear of violence or abuse. But when the victim identifies as a male there is little to no help available and Domestic Violence inflicted from a female abusers is often overlooked or minimised. Physically abuse is brushed off, and men are expected to be the bigger person and just cop it. Society is partly to blame. If you see a male publicly being screamed...
Making the most of your supervised contact.
It’s warming up, the days are getting longer and so are Lilly Pilly’s opening hours: Monday till Thursday 8am – 7pm Saturday & Sunday 8am – 4pm Closed Christmas & New Years day. At Lilly Pilly we aim to insure your visit does not feel clinical. Our supervisors are always within ear and eye shot but we do not hover. We give you space and have a number of activities you can enjoy doing with your child at our premises:...
Why Children seek control.
When in a separated or blended family unit it is easy to get caught up in big emotions and blame the other parent or the separation for your child’s behaviour. Raising children is hard work and even in traditional family units children will play parents off against each other in order to get what they want. A simple personality trait may be the reason behind the controlling behaviour, they may grow up to be amazing natural leaders, but they lack...
Signs of Manipulation.
Manipulation can take many forms. A manipulator can skew any situation to make themselves the victim. They encourage you to doubt yourself and make you question your own reality. Separation with a manipulative partner can be hard when children are involved as they often use them as tool to continue the manipulative behaviour. The motivation behind manipulative behaviour may be for financial gain, to obtain power and control, to inflict pain or they may be dealing with a mental...
The Lilly Pilly Maccas Changeover Routine for High Conflict Families:
Drop off : 1. The parent for contact / parent picking up arrives at the MacDonalds Restaurant atleast 15 minutes before child/children are to be delivered and waits inside the restaurant. * Maybe arrive for time to buy a drink and chips to have at the ready to ease the childrens (and the parents) anxieties 2. The primary carer / parent dropping off arrives with child/ren at the MacDonalds Restaurant at correct agreed time, NOT before or after.. 3. The...
The Contact / Communication Book
At Lilly Pilly, when communication between parents is difficult, we encourage parents to start communicating with each other through the use of a contact or communication book. Typically the child/ren carry the book in their bag between visits to each parent. It is preferable if it is a medium sized, bound book with numbered pages (pages can tend to go missing). The contact book is about the children with regards to their needs and anything else you think could be relevant....
POP – Parenting Orders Programs
What is a Parenting Orders Program? A Parenting Orders Program is the name of a post separation parenting program under the Family Law Act. It helps separated parents work out arrangements that allow parents and other family members to spend time with the children. Why go to a Parenting Orders Program? Sometimes families who are separated are not able to agree about arrangements for seeing their children and cannot make parenting orders work. Parents may have been to court to...