President of the District Court: Parents may vary family court orders during Covid-19 crisis where both parents agree
The President of the District Court, Judge Colin Daly recently stated that the Covid-19 restrictions may mean that the detail of every access order may not be fully implementable, but parents should make every effort to allow their children to continue access in a safe, alternative way.
Judge Daly said parents are free to temporarily vary family court orders during the Covid-19 crisis as long as both parents are in agreement. He advised that parents should make note of such agreements by way of email or text message.
The Judge advised that when a child does not get their scheduled time with a parent due to the current crisis, there should still be regular contact between the parent and child.
He recommended that video technology such as FaceTime, Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp should be used to facilitate access where possible and where not possible, a telephone conversation should be arranged.
The Judge has urged parents to communicate with one another during this time and stated that the best outcome for children is for parents to contact each other to set out their concerns and suggest ideas for practical solutions that can be put in place.
Judge Daly warned that applications for breach of access orders will not be treated as urgent during the Covid-19 crisis unless a good case can be made by one of the parties that they must be heard immediately.
If you have any queries in relation to this or any family law issue please contact Brendan Dillon on 01 2960666 or info@dillon.ie
