Parental Support and Responsibility Act 2008 (2008 - 2016)

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The Parental Support and Responsibility Act 2008 came into operation on 28 March 2009. It enabled responsible parenting agreements and responsible parenting orders to be issued. It also amended the Children's Court of Western Australia Act 1988 and the Young Offenders Act 1994 to assist this process.

The objects of the Act are outlined in Part 2, section 5 of the Act:

'(1) The objects of this Act are -

(a) to acknowledge and support the primary role of parents in safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children; and

(b) to support and reinforce the role and responsibility of parents to exercise appropriate control over the behaviour of their children.

(2) For the purposes of this section,

responsibility

includes but is not limited to all the duties, powers, responsibilities and

authority which, by law, parents have in relation to children.'

The Act (Part 3) also facilitates information-sharing among and between government and service agencies who have been appointed to work with families under a responsible parenting agreement (Part 4, which parents voluntarily enter into) or a responsible parenting order (Part 5, which is imposed by the Children's Court of Western Australia). All actions taken under the Act are expected to be in best interests of the child (Part 2, section 6).