1. Reach an agreement outside of court

Reach an agreement outside of court

Where to start
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Overview

There are services and resources available to help you and the others involved to agree on how to care for your child.

If you’re experiencing family violence, you may need other support

You and your child's safety come first when trying to sort out parenting disagreements outside the Family Court. If you or your child are experiencing family violence, some of these services may not be right for you.

Find out more about family violence

When to apply for an urgent court order

Resources and services to help you come to an agreement

If parents, guardians, or whānau can’t agree about how you’ll share the day-to-day care of your child, the Parenting Plan Workbook is a good starting point to help you with your conversations.

Make a parenting plan

Change can be hard for children to understand. To help your child cope with this change, parenting arrangements should focus on what's in their child’s best interests. There are services that can help you make the decisions together. Parents, guardians, and whānau say they’ve found using these services helpful as it allowed them to see things from the child's point of view.

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Resources in other languages and alternate formats

We have resources available in different languages and alternate formats. Select the language or alternate format to get the resources relevant to this page.

Feeling overwhelmed?

Going through a change in your whānau situation can be hard. It's normal to feel overwhelmed. There are services available to help and support you through this time.

Visit our help page