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Understanding Family Law and its Impact on Children – PD for school counsellors, psychologists and pastoral carers

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Live webinar – 12th March, 2025 (recording will be available to watch/purchase after this)

As school counsellors and pastoral carers, your role often intersects with family dynamics, particularly during challenging times like family breakdowns. Understanding the implications of separation on children and families is crucial. This session aims to give you an overview of Family Law Orders and how they impact students and schools, Family Violence and Intervention Orders, and your rights and responsibilities regarding providing information to parents and third parties. We’ll also look at how to integrate this knowledge into the systems and processes you use in your school, to ensure that there are clear guides for decision making.

What you will learn

This session will provide you with a comprehensive overview of family law as it relates to your work, including:

  1. Understanding Agreements and Court Orders: Explore informal arrangements, parenting plans, and court orders, including their implications for children and families.
  2. Interpreting Family Court Orders: Learn the difference between Family Court Orders and Parenting Plans and how these affect your interactions with families.
  3. Parenting Orders vs. Parenting Plans: Learn how Family Court Orders can impact school obligations and dictate the obligations of parents, including the consequences of non-compliance.
  4. Parental Responsibility: Clarify the concept of parental responsibility, including day-to-day decision-making and long-term planning for children.
  5. Learn from examples of different Court Orders or parenting agreements: Understand the legal directives issued by the court or informal agreements made between parties that concern a child’s care
  6. Legislative changes: Be aware of legislative changes fundamental to the operation of family law, the reasons for their implementation, and how they may impact your interactions with clients.
  7. Addressing Family Violence and Intervention Orders: Gain insights into the legal framework surrounding family violence and how to navigate your obligations
  8. Navigating Separated Parents: Learn which parent can consent to counselling where there is family separation, what rights parents have to information and how to manage varied conflicts.
  9. Your Rights and Responsibilities: Receive clarity on what to do if you are subpoenaed and understand what information you can provide to parents and other parties involved.
  10. Systems and processes: Develop an understanding of how to apply this knowledge in a range of situations within a school (and school counselling) context

Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to support your students during challenging family situations

This course includes:

Who is it for?

Presented by:

Meet your presenter

Bec Dahl

Practicing Family Lawyer with over 20 years of experience in divorce, separation, child access, property division, surrogacy, and LGBTQIA+ family law issues.

Her extensive background in family law provides unique insights into the challenges school counsellors may face, offering guidance on how to support children and families navigating the complexities of family law.

Dr Matt O’Connor

Clinical and School Psychologist, and Director of Brisbane-based clinic and consultancy service, ConnectEd Counselling and Consultancy, who deliver the ConnectEd School PD series for school psychologists/counsellors and pastoral care staff.

His work across the school-sector in Australia focuses on the practical and applied challenges school counsellor’s encounter. Matt is a sought-after supervisor and consultant, often in the areas of school structures and supporting psychologists/counsellors and schools to identify opportunities to improve school pastoral care and wellbeing processes.

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