Parental Plan

What is a parental plan?

A parental plan is a formal written agreement between parents that sets out the arrangements for the care and upbringing of their child after the divorce or separation. In Australia, a parenting agreement plan is a popular document that helps to clearly record the following important decisions:

• living arrangement during weekdays;
• arrangements for school holidays and vacations;
• list of shared values and approaches for raising children;
• communication responsibilities between the parents;
• decision-making regarding education, healthcare, religion, and extracurricular activities.

Having a written parenting plan helps reduce misunderstandings and avoid future disputes by clearly setting expectations for both parents.

Who should use this parental plan template?

Parenting plans templates can be suitable for a wide range of daily situations, including:

• separated parents looking for a solid parenting agreement plan to formalise living arrangements before the court order;
• divorced parents searching for a comprehensive template to change the existing custody arrangement;
• parents considering separation who are willing to organise the childcare and custody between themselves;
• parents with shared custody, searching for parenting plans templates to clarify children’s daily upbringing;
• parents willing to resolve parenting matters without a mandatory court order;
• de facto partners with children who are separating.

What should be included in this template for parenting plan?

Parenting plans templates in Australia are flexible documents because they represent a private agreement between spouses or ex-spouses. They are relatively easy to amend and do not require court approval. A solid parental plan in Australia must include:

Parents’ Details

Only parents of a child can enter this parenting plan template Australia. The document must include their identification details, such as full name, mailing address and contact email or phone number.

Child Details

The parenting plan in Australia may concern one or several children. The document should include their full name and date of birth. It is only possible to include children below the age of 18.

Living Arrangements

A central part of any parental plan is determining with whom, primarily, a child should live. A child could live with one or two parents at the same time. If a care is shared, the parental plan should define on which days of the week or month a child should live with each of the parents.

Holiday Arrangements

It is common to define a separate living arrangement for a holiday season. For example, parents may agree that the child will spend Christmas with one parent in alternating years. It is also possible to define different living arrangements for different types of holidays and special events.

Decision-making responsibilities

The scope of parenting plans templates is not limited to a living arrangement. There is a vast variety of daily issues parents may agree upon in the text of the present document, for example:

• homework;
• home chores;
• pocket money;
• extracurricular activities;
• relations with certain relatives;
• general values and religious beliefs, etc.

Amendment clause

A good example of a parenting plan template Australia should include a clause allowing for changes in living or other arrangements. Usually, parties may agree that each parent should have the right to request modifications in a schedule at least once or several times per calendar year. This ensures the arrangement remains practical and adaptable as circumstances change.

Applicable Law

The last step is to select the law of a state or territory that shall apply to the provisions of this agreement. If it is a parenting plan template WA, it means that the laws of Western Australia should apply towards the interpretation and execution of the present agreement. It is better to select the laws of a state or territory where either party is based.

How to customise this parenting plan with FasterDraft?

To get a fully customised document template, follow a few easy steps below:

1. Click the “Create Document” button.
2. Answer simple questions in the interactive online form.
3. Select a template’s format – PDF or Word.
4. E-sign the document.
5. Make a payment.

The document is instantly available for download and use immediately after the purchase.

Parental Plan Checklist

Once the template for parenting plan is complete, there are several important steps to follow.

Read the document

Parenting plans should reflect the real intention of the parties regarding the split of obligations related to child support and living arrangements. Each party should read the final document carefully before signing to ensure important information is reflected correctly. Pay particular attention to:

• full identification details of a child and parents;
• weekday living arrangements;
• weekend living arrangements;
• holiday and vacation schedules;
• how the document can be changed or amended.

If all these essential details are covered, parties may proceed to signing.

Sign the Document

Signing a parenting agreement plan is a major step, as the document entails important legal consequences for the parties involved, as well as for their children. Each party must sign the document in the presence of at least two witnesses. A witness should be at least 18 years old, of sound mind and not be materially or legally involved in the subject of the document.

Once the parental plan is signed, every party should keep its signed copy for further record.

Maintain Communication

Signing a parenting agreement plan is not the end of the story but only its beginning. Parents should remain in contact and review the agreement periodically to ensure it continues to meet the child’s needs. If either party’s contact details change, this should be reflected immediately in the text of the contract.