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Summary FAMILY LAW SUMMARIES - PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AFTER DIVORCE
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Family Law: Topic 12Parental Responsibilities After Divorce
What is an Order for Care or Custody?
Custody: Common law entitling parents to physical presence, control over daily life, secular &
religious education, medical care, necessary discipline and association of the child.
S6(3) of the Divorce Act allows for courts to make custody orders.
The Children’s Act uses the term ‘care’ to fill the definition of custody in common law
and legislation.
Care is broader than custody in that it is child centric.
Both parents retain these responsibilities even if the child doesn’t live with them.
It allows for parents to maintain a relationship with the child, regardless of who has sole
custody/care, unless the parent is abusive.
Wheeler v Wheeler The court avoided the old terminology (custody and access) in favour
of new terms (care and contact). Linking child-related orders to s18 and s1 of the Act.
The court must decide which parent the child should live with and which should be
responsible for long term and/or daily decisions.
Sole care can be awarded, making one parent responsible for all.
S31(2) provides that parents must act with due consideration to views and wishes of the
co-holder of parental rights and responsibilities in terms of major decision.
These are defined in s31(1)(b) to include that which will affect the contact between the
child and the other parent and decisions that require the consent of both guardians in
s18(3)(c).
The definition is intentionally broad.
Parents will sole care are also required to consider the other parent’s views in major
decisions like relocation.
The other parents will often retain parental rights and responsibilities such as
maintenance and guardianship.
The sole carer can make independent decisions in terms of care and upbringing.
Joint legal care means that the parents share the responsibility of making important
decisions, such as education and medical care.
The parent with whom the child lives will be responsible for the day-to-day decisions.
Joint physical care is when the children live with both their parents, meaning that the
day-to-day decisions rest on the parent with whom the child presently resides.
It is possible for simultaneously joint legal and physical care.
S33 of the Children’s Act provides for a parenting plan, aimed at ensuring cooperation.
Section 35 states that if a parent does not permit the other to exercise parental rights
and responsibilities in terms of the plan or court order it is an offence.
The court does not have to include orders regarding custody or care in a divorce
proceeding.
In this case parents retain rights and responsibilities such as care, contact, guardianship
and maintenance.
, What is an Order for Contact or Access?
S6(3) of the Divorce Act says that the court can order ‘access’, while the Children’s Act
states that parents should have ‘contact’, stating that ‘access’ should be interpreted to
mean contact as defined in the Children’s Act.
This means physical visits and communication; the court will order meaningful contact
such as regular visits – not just being Facebook friends.
The best interest standard guides all matters.
Sociology finds that ongoing contact is important for sustainable relationships with non-
resident parents.
This is proven to enhance happiness and wellbeing.
Contact is a parental responsibility and a child’s right.
Maintenance Orders
The common law duty of support does not change because of divorce.
If the children are minors that the duties in the Children’s Act also apply.
The court can make an order about the maintenance of a minor or dependent child
based on the common law duties.
The court will look at the needs of children and the abilities of parents.
Maintenance is given to the parent with physical care, often combined with spousal
maintenance.
Butcher v Butcher By the age of 18 many people have not completed matric, let alone
university, and are unable to support themselves.
The Divorce Act allows maintenance for minor or dependent children, meaning that the
court can order maintenance for those over 18 and dependant.
However, parents with whom the child resides can only apply for maintenance for that
child if they are minors at the start of the proceedings.
Otherwise the dependent must claim maintenance themselves.
Guardianship
Both parents usually retain full guardianship after divorce.
However, the Divorce Act allows the awarding of sole guardianship in cases where the
other has absconded, cannot be traced or clearly unfit due to a psychiatric disorder or
conviction of a violent crime involving a child.
In these rare cases the responsibilities in s18(3)(c) of the Children’s Act only require the
consent of the sole guardian.
Arrangements for the Children and the Best Interest Standard
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