December 2013Newsletter7
In This Issue
- Welcome
- Statewide FLPN Website
- Stepfamilies Training Certificates
- Centacare Conference
- FRSA Conference
- Meet and Greet with Justice Tree
- Family Law Court News
Jaime Pick
(07) 4840 0602
0400 773 994
35 Milton Street Mackay, Qld 4740
Information Links (control and click to follow link)
The Courier-Mail pleads guilty to family law breach in the Italian sisters custody case
Family Relationship Advice Line is a national telephone services established to assist families affected by relationship or separation issues. 1800 050 321
Contact Me
Jaime Pick
(07) 4840 0602
0400 773 994
35 Milton Street Mackay, Qld 4740
Interesting Reads/ Reports (control and click to follow link)
Useful Links (control and click to follow link)
Full Court Family Law Judgements
Australian Federal Police - Family Law Kit
Contact Me
Jaime Pick
(07) 4840 0602
0400 773 994
35 Milton Street Mackay, Qld 4740
Contact Me
Jaime Pick
(07) 4840 0602
0400 773 994
35 Milton Street Mackay, Qld 4740
Contact Me
Jaime Pick
(07) 4840 0602
0400 773 994
35 Milton Street Mackay, Qld 4740
Contact Me
Jaime Pick
(07) 4840 0602
0400 773 994
35 Milton Street Mackay, Qld 4740 / Welcome to the 7thedition of the Mackay-Whitsunday REgion, Family Law Pathways Network Newlsetter
Well I don’t know about you but I can’t believe that it is December already and 2014 is knocking on the door. The network is now fully established and going very well. All reports about the Mackay-Whitsunday Family Law Pathways Network from the Attorney General’s Office are positive and I hope this continues into next year.
The MWFLPN includes the townships of Mackay, Moranbah, Dysart, Nebo, Proserpine, Cannonvale and Arlie Beach. The Mackay- Whitsunday FLPN is funded by the Australian Government, Attorney-General’s Department and hosted by the Mackay Family Relationship Centre, Centacare. There is no cost to join the network and new members are always encouraged.
Please note that I work part-time, Monday and Tuesday until 2.30pm. If your matter is urgent please leave a message on the mobile phone number. Otherwise please be patient with my responses.
For further information on the Mackay-Whitsunday Family Law Pathways Network please contact Jaime Pick, (07) 4840 0602, Mob: 0400 773 994 or email
The main aim of FLPNs is to help families who are experiencing family separation, breakdown and conflict to access the services they need as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Therefore reducing the negative emotional impact and financial strain on families.
Qld Family Law Pathways Network Website
It is with great excitement that I announce a Qld Family Law Pathways Network website will be launched early next year. All the facilitators throughout the state have been working hard to get the website developed and we hope that it will prove to be a valuable resource to network members.Each local FLPN will have a porthole specific for their region. Included on the website will be a local resource directory, training and program calendar (both for professionals and clients), MWFLPN Newsletters, information links and resources. Really we are only limited by our imagination. I am even trying to link referral processes and forms to the service directory.
When the time comes I will be hosting a launch event where I will be demonstrating how to use the website and resources already uploaded on it. Of course there will be refreshments available.
Working Effectively with Stepfamilies Training – Attendance Certificates
The Mackay-Whitsunday Family Law Pathways Network and UnitingCare Community hosted Working Effectively with Stepfamilies Training in Mackay on the 3rd and 4th of September 2013. This training was delivered by Daniela Zimmerman from Stepfamilies Australia.Those that attended the training should have received their attendance certificates directly from Stepfamilies Australia. If you have not yet received your please send me an email and I will follow it up.
Meet and Greet with Justice Tree and Judge Coker
On the 29th October the MWFLPN hosted a meet and greet event with Justice Tree and Judge Coker. The event was held at Bridges Bar and Restaurant.The turn out was fantastic with approximately 42 local professionals came to meet and chat with his Honours. These professionals came from a variety of fields including law, family mediation, family counselling, education, mental health, family violence, child protection and other related fields. Both Justice Tree and Judge Coker chatted to the attendees to get their views on current matters and also gave some wonderful feedback to service providers.
The event was enjoyed by all those attended and we even had our entertainment with Lisa Curry Kenny holding exercise classes beside us. So we ate and drank and they worked it off for us lol.
Myself, Marika Van Heerden, Marlie Tudor and Sue Rice
Centacare Conference
In September I travelled to Rockhampton for the Centacare Conference. The theme of the conference was ‘A Just Future’ and this was the first time in 7 years that Centacare has held an ‘all of organisation’ forum. It was great to meet staff from all over the diocese working in a number of fields.I attended some wonderful workshops including ‘The Distribution of Joy’ which covered the physical, emotional and environmental factors that both promote and stifle our ability to experience and embrace JOY. I also attended a workshop on the benefits of using professional networking sites (like Facebook but in a professional context). It certainly provided food for thought.
The absolute highlight for me was the very inspirational presentation by Moira Kelly. Moira is the Executive Director of the Children First Foundation and has spent her adult life travelling to the most vulnerable and conflicted parts of the world doing humanitarian work, especially with children. She has worked in areas including Botswana, Johannesburg, Romania, Bosnia, Albania and the Bronx. Listening to Moira really puts things into perspective and really proves that one person can make a difference.
Moira is probably best known to the Australian public as the adoptive mother of now separated cranially conjoint twins Trishna and Krishna who are originally from Bangladesh. She is also the adoptive mother of brothers, Emmanuel and Ahmed, who were both born with ‘severely underdeveloped limbs’. Moira found the boys in an orphanage in Iraq and knowing their future was bleak if they stayed she brought them back to Australia. You may remember Emmanual from Australian Idol 2011 auditions where he sang Imagine. We had the pleasure of Emmanual performing for us even treating us to an original song that is just about to be released.
Moira and Emmanuel Kelly, Centacare Moira giving her inspirational speech
Director Ricki Jeffery and Fr John Grace.
FRSA Conference
In November 2013 I attended the Family Relationships Services Australia (FRSA) Annual Conference in Canberra. It is always a great conference and this year was no exception. Workshops/forums/presentations I attended included;- The intersection of Family Law and child protection matters - Support for families, parents and children.
- The Parental Regard Pilot Project: Integrating a relational focus into family dispute resolution.
- A model for delivering FDR services to Regional and Remote Aboriginal Communities
- Unpacking the baggage: Children’s experiences of security and contentment in shared-time living arrangements.
- Integrating children’s needs in an adult-focused service: Innovation to preventing future problems amongst children of substance-dependent parents.
- Improving the interface between the child protection systems and the family law system.
- Seeing parenting strength and ‘speaking for the child’ – skills for working with fathers and mothers.
On Tuesday night (Melbourne Cup day) the National Museum was opened for us and we got to see the first two Melbourne cups that are still original and also Phar Laps heart. Yes it is as big as they say. Of course all the other exhibitions were equally as good.
The FRSA presentations are available on the FRSA website for those that are interested please follow link: FRSA Presentations
Professor Richard Chisholm AM, Australian National University, talking about the intersection of Family Law and Child Protection
Melbourne Cups on display at National Museum
Family Law DOORS Training
The MWFLP will be delivering the national Family Law DOORS Training on the 5th February 2014 so please SAVE THE DATE. The training will be delivered by Alex Collins from Centacare. Alex delivered the AVERT Training to the network and received positive feedback from participants.Family Law DOORS is a one day training package. The website describes Family Law DOORS (Detection Of Overall Risk Screen) as underpinned by extensive literature review and international consultation, the DOORS is an empirically based risk and wellbeing screen. It has been reviewed and refined by researchers and senior practitioners, both across Australia and internationally.
The DOORS is a three part framework that assists separating parents and family law professionals to detect and respond to both wellbeing and safety risks that family members may be experiencing after separation. The DOORS in its current form is for families in which former intimate partners have or seek an ongoing parenting role with their children.
The DOORS framework aims to support a shared understanding across all disciplines in the family law system of factors that operate together to create a climate of elevated risk for families. The framework addresses how these factors can be better identified, and offers pathways of effective, coordinated response.
The structure of the DOORS reflects the idea that risk needs to be assessed over time, and at many levels, incorporating both structured self-report by clients, and tailored personal enquiry by practitioners at a level dictated by the needs of the case.
There are ten domains of risk within the DOORS, exploring individual and dyadic functioning after separation, risks to safety, parents’ wellbeing and infant and child wellbeing and development. According to the needs of the case, the practitioner can choose to screen all domains of risk, or only some. Three connected DOORS enable different levels of exploration of these ten domains.
To learn more follow this link: Family Law DOORS
Family Law Court News
I thought I would include this quirky story in this editions newsletter. The story comes from the Herald Sun in August this year. Please read the story below.EX MISSES OUT ON LOTTO WIN
A WOMAN who won $6 million on lotto six months after splitting from her husband of 20 years has fought off his court bid to claim half. The lucky gambler - who bought the winning ticket using her sister's playing card with their late dad's lucky word on it - pocketed $5 million and gave her sibling $1 million.
Her ex-husband, 62, claimed during recent Family Court proceedings in Sydney that the jackpot should be included when carving up the couple's properties and other assets.He said even though the couple had split at the time of the win in early 2009, the ticket - one of 10 she bought that day for $59.45 - was bought with "joint funds". His lawyers also claimed by allowing his ex-wife, now 55, to spend money every week on tickets during the long-standing marriage, he had heightened her chances of winning a major prize.
The woman started buying tickets in the early 1980s, and spent about $25 to $30 each week.The couple cannot be named for legal reasons.The court heard the woman had been particularly worried about her future after the split with her husband in 2008, and her sister had started giving her $20 or $50 a week to help her financially.
The woman and her sister discussed their late father, who'd regularly bought gambling tickets, which he named his "tihi", Greek for "luck". The sister had a player's card with the word on it, and urged the ex-wife to use it each week, promising to give her some money toward the cost.
The ex-wife gave evidence that she bought tickets every week after this discussion, using the contributions from her sister, as well as payments from a family company that owed her money, some of a $6000 tax refund and some refunded school fees. Lawyers for the wife argued that the prizemoney should remain hers, but the husband's legal team argued the court should award him half of the winnings, or at least a third.
In a judgment published this week, Judge Janine Stevenson found the winning ticket was bought in the sister's name, possibly with money provided wholly or in part by her."I am satisfied and I find that the wife and (her sister) jointly formed an intention to purchase gambling tickets on a weekly basis, using pooled funds, and to share any winnings as they deemed appropriate from time to time," the judgement says.
"In my view, the husband cannot simply assert that the purchase money came from 'joint funds'. "I find that the husband made no contribution to the money which the wife applied to purchase the winning gambling ticket. "I am also mindful of the fact that the wife purchased the winning ticket six months after the parties' separation."
Nevertheless, in the overall carve-up of the couple's assets the judge decided the husband should get $500,000 extra from the wife because of the large disparity in the parties' financial circumstances and his limited future working life.