Rethinking contact arrangements involving young children

There is in Australia, once again, much attention and enquiry focussed on decision making in childrenââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s cases, both as to the substantive law that is to be applied and the processes to be utilised. The purpose of this article is, among other things, to contribute to the discussion that is taking place by suggesting that there might be another way to deal with the interests and needs of non-resident parents who desire to have meaningful roles in the lives of their children. That other way would be to reconsider current standard patterns of contact, particularly for young children, so that these patterns not only more closely match the current research into child development, but also more closely meets the developmental needs of young children.