Family Law Q & A: Is 50/50 parenting always the outcome?

No, not necessarily. There are many factors the Court consider in determining what the outcome is in a parenting matter, with the primary consideration for the Court being that the outcome must be in the best interests of the children. There are age considerations, the child’s wishes, the primary attachment of the child to either parent, geographical considerations, the level of conflict between the parties, whether there is a risk to the child in the care of one of the parents and many other factors which assist the Court in reaching an outcome in a parenting mediation. Whilst an equal parenting regime is something the Court must first rule out, as a starting point, that does not mean it is a guaranteed outcome as each case is assessed independently of all others and decided by the Judge based on the evidence before the Court.