Family lawyer Prue McGuire and other local family lawyers are making a plea. Photo / File
Family lawyer Prue McGuire and other local family lawyers are making a plea. Photo / File
Rotorua family lawyers are making a plea to families going through custody disputes or who have shared care arrangements to put their differences aside for the sake of their children and the country.
Family lawyer Prue McGuire said the lawyers had this week met to put out a joint statementthey hoped would help those struggling with self-isolation rules in the face of custody disputes or court orders.
"Where there is a shared care arrangement and the families are in different towns and areas, the children should not move between those homes," the lawyers' joint statement said.
They said generally children in the same communities could continue to go between their homes, unless there was a risk, such as the child or a person in the home they were going to or home they had been in had been overseas in the last 14 days or had been in close contact with someone who was currently being tested for Covid-19 or had been in close contact with someone who had the virus or was being tested.
They also reminded parents that if a child was unwell the child should not travel between homes.
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"All of the Rotorua Family Court lawyers urge parents to consider the reasoning behind the Level 4 Covid-19 virus alert which is to stop the spread of the virus," the statement said.
"On the other hand, the Family Court lawyers urge parents to put aside their conflict at this time and make decisions that are in the best interests of the child, and their families."
McGuire said the Family Court would continue to operate but on a reduced capacity level. She said lawyers anticipated the court would not grant without notice applications for enforcement of contact arrangements where there had been a breach during this four-week period.
"Parents must put their own interests and their own conflict aside over this time and focus on what is in the best interests of the child or children. This global pandemic should not be seen as an opportunity for parents to unilaterally change established care arrangements without cause or otherwise behave in a manner inconsistent with the child's best interests or the status quo."
She said that meant essentially the status quo should prevail unless that was in breach of the provisions of alert level 4 and the Director-General of Health's guidelines.
Lawyers for urgent family legal help * Gina Oudyn (021) 277 8626 gina@lancelawson.co.nz * Kate Yarrall (021) 2778627 kate@lancelawson.co.nz * Chelsea Smith (021) 103 5890 chelsea@lancelawosn.co.nz * Mia Flannery (027) 5296198 mia@lancelawson.co.nz * Carlos Hamon (027) 622 7567 carlos@lancelawson.co.nz * Nehsha Moynihan (021) 350 501 nehsha@lancealwson.co.nz * Stephanie Northey (0800) LAW SHOP Stephanie@thelawshop.co.nz * Bridget Pereeti (021) 024 04276 bridget@bplaw.co.nz * Jo Hosking (027) 566 4157 jo@johosking.co.nz * Laura Owen (027) 289 5583 laura@owenlaw.co.nz * Minka Bodde-Phillips (021) 646 066 minka@phillipsandco.co.nz * Alistair Burns (021) 992 972 alistair@phillipsandco.co.nz * Tim Braithwaite (021) 0420 681 tim@braithwaitelaw.co.nz * Walter Swanson (027) 333 1005 walter@swansonlegal.co.nz * Jim Wynyard (021) 983 980 jim@swansonlegal.co.nz * Mihi James (027) 926 1751 mihi@mjlegal.co.nz * Tania Williams Blyth (027) 307 1328 tania@tekopulegal.co.nz
