Glossary - Family Law
In Family Law
Parenting coordination is an alternative dispute resolution process that tries to help parents who have a court order or parenting plan resolve their issues without going to court.
Partners meet with a neutral person, called a parenting coordinator, who helps them resolve their day-to-day conflicts about their parenting plan or order.
In Family Law
A parenting order is a type of court order that deals with:
- Decision-making responsibility or who has the right to make important decisions about how to care for and raise a child. This used to be called custody.
- Parenting time or who has the right to spend time with a child. This used to be called access. Now, all parents usually have parenting time.
- Anything else that the court thinks is suitable. For example, the court may order that parents use an online program or journal to communicate about their child.
The court makes the parenting order based on what’s in the best interests of the child.
In Family Law
A parenting plan is a written agreement between parents who have separated or divorced that says how they will care for their children. For example, a parenting plan can say which parent is responsible for making decisions about their child’s dental care, how they will handle emergencies, and how much time the child will spend with each parent.
The plan can be a separate document or can be included as part of a separation agreement or court order.
In Family Law
Parenting time is the time that a child spends in the care of a parent. All parents usually have parenting time. And a person who stands in the place of a parent, such as a step-parent, may also get it. Parenting time used to be called access.
Parenting time can be on a strict schedule, such as every other weekend, or on a flexible schedule. In some cases, it might be supervised, which means someone else like a Children’s Aid Society worker or relative, watches the visit.
A person who has parenting time usually also has the right to information about the child’s well-being, such as information about their health and education.
In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law
Parties are the people or organizations directly involved in a court case, contract, agreement, or other legal matter. For example, a party can be one person or a group of two or more people, a corporation, or an agency like the Family Responsibility Office or Children’s Aid Society.
In most family law cases, both partners are parties but the children are not parties.
In most child protection cases, the Children’s Aid Society and the parents are parties, but the children are not parties.
In Child abuse and neglect, Domestic violence, Family Law
A party or parties are the people or organizations directly involved in a court case, contract, agreement, or other legal matter. For example, a party can be one person or a group of two or more people, a corporation, or an agency like the Family Responsibility Office or Children’s Aid Society.
In most family law cases, both partners are parties but the children are not parties.
In most child protection cases, the Children’s Aid Society and the parents are parties, but the children are not parties.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Criminal Law, Family Law, Housing Law, Refugee Law
A peace bond is a court order from a criminal court that requires a person to “keep the peace and be of good behaviour”. The peace bond may also contain other conditions the person must follow. For example, the person may be required to follow a “no contact” condition.
In Family Law
A pension plan administrator is a person or a group of people, who manage a pension fund. They are responsible for many things, including giving plan members certain information and making pension payments to them.
A pension plan brochure or annual pension statement usually has contact information for its pension plan administrator.
In Family Law
Primary residence is the place where your child lives most of the time.
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