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Making a parenting plan

Information about how to make a parenting plan for your child.

Parenting plan

A parenting plan is a written agreement between parents about how they will care for their child. Both parents must voluntarily sign and date it. This includes a parenting plan made overseas.

A parenting plan must deal with at least one of these things:

  • who has parental responsible and makes major decisions about your child
  • who your child lives with
  • who your child spends time with
  • how your child talks to, or keeps in touch with, the other parent and family members
  • financial support for your child
  • how you will sort out disagreements
  • how you will make changes to the parenting plan later
  • any other important part of your child’s care, welfare or development.

A parenting plan does not have to be witnessed by an authorised witness.

You do not need to go to court to make a parenting plan. A parenting plan is not a court order. This means a court cannot enforce a parenting plan or punish someone for not following it. But if you later go to court, the court may look at the parenting plan when deciding what is best for your child.

Who can make a parenting plan

A parenting plan must be made by both parents of a child. It can also include other people if both parents agree, such as:

  • grandparents
  • step-parents
  • siblings
  • extended family or kin, including aunts and uncles
  • other people who are concerned with the care, welfare and development  of a child.

Who the law may treat as a parent

Under the law, there is no set definition of who is a parent.

A person who may be treated as a parent includes:

  • a biological mother (unless she is a surrogate mother)
  • a biological father
  • a de facto partner
  • adoptive parents
  • the same sex partner of a mother where the child was conceived by artificial conception and the partner agreed to the conception.

Sometimes, a person may be treated as a parent because they were married to, or living with, the mother when the child was conceived.

Sometimes, a biological parent is not treated as the child’s legal parent. For example, this can apply to sperm or egg donors.

If you are not sure whether the law treats you as a parent, get legal advice.

Drafting your parenting plan

You can write a parenting plan in any format. There are no set rules about how to write it or what words you must use. What matters is that it is clear and easy to read. This can help prevent confusion and disagreements later.

For more information, see Drafting your parenting plan.

Case study – parenting plan for a baby

Marlee and Aaron Snow have separated after four years of marriage. They want to make a written parenting agreement for their eight-month-old baby girl, Talia.

They have an amicable relationship and are working hard to put Talia’s needs first.

For more information, see Case study – parenting plan for a baby.

Case study – parenting plan for young children

Esperance and Jules have recently separated. They want to make a written parenting agreement for their three young children. They were able to agree on arrangements soon after they separated, and now they want to write that agreement down.

For more information, see Case study – parenting plan for young children.

Changing your parenting plan

You can change your parenting plan at any time by making a new agreement with the other parent. If you have made a new agreement, you can:

  • make an informal agreement
  • make a new parenting plan
  • apply to the court for consent orders.

You should check whether your current parenting plan states how you can make changes and deal with disputes.

There is no limit to the number of times you can change your parenting plan.

For more information, see Changing your parenting arrangements.

Last updated: May 2026

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