It is important that children grow up in a safe environment where they feel secure, loved and protected. If you are a parent who is a victim of domestic violence and you have a child who has been exposed to domestic violence, you can make an application for a protection order protecting both you and your child from domestic violence.
At a minimum, all protection orders ensure that the parent against whom the order is made must be of good behaviour towards you and any child named in the order. You should seek advice about what other orders may protect you in your situation.
Protection orders
Whilst a protection order is made to protect those named in the order, it does not deal with the living arrangements or the authority to make decisions for your child. Parents must carefully consider the following:
- if there is no existing agreement in relation to the living arrangements for a child named in an order, whether or not a meaningful relationship between the child and parent (against whom the order is made) can still be maintained, taking into consideration the need to reduce any risk of harm to the child; and
- if there is an existing agreement in place in relation to the living arrangements for a child named in an order, whether these arrangements need to be modified for the safety of the parent and child, and to ensure that a continuation of the existing arrangement does not lead to a breach of the protection order.