ANNOUNCCER: I’m with Liam Thompson from Cohen Highly Lawyers. In a divorce or separation situation, what is the ‘sole decision making authority’?
LIAM: As a starting point, both parents have equal decision making authority about their children. Sole decision making authority changes that and gives one parent the final say on big picture things such as the school the child would go to, the religion they’d be raised in, nonemergency health care decisions and things like that.
ANNOUNCER: So, the parent with sole decision making authority has final say on everything?
LIAM: No, on daily decisions, each parent can still deal with the child as they see fit. So, when the parent without decision making authority has the child, they still get to determine bedtimes, sleepovers, homework schedules and so on. Also, parents without decision making authority may also have a voice in major decisions. They would likely have access to information such as school and medical records and will often be informed of important events in the child’s life such as school graduations, important doctor’s appointments and extracurricular activities
