What is a Section 60I Certificate?

It’s a common question we hear at My Legal Crunch, what is a section 60I certificate and why do I need one?

Section 60I Certificate

A section 60I certificate is required in most circumstances before you want to start family law proceedings which involve parenting and children matters.  This can include seeking family law orders such as who will the children live with, can I relocate with the children to another area, is there child abuse or family violence risk factors and when can the children spend time with each parent.

A section 60I certificate is a certificate given to you after you and the other parent attend family dispute resolution with a registered family dispute resolution practitioner.

There are five types of section 60I certificates that can be given.

The section 60I certificates are:

1. That the person did not attend family dispute resolution because the other person refused or said they would not attend family dispute resolution.  This is a section 60I(8)(a) certificate.
2. The family dispute resolution practitioner did not believe it was appropriate for the parties to have family dispute resolution due to the issues between them.  This is a section 60I(8)(aa) certificate.
3. That the parties attended family dispute resolution and all parties made a genuine attempt to resolve the issues.  This is a section 60I(8)(b) certificate.
4. That the parties attended family dispute resolution and that one of the parties did not make a genuine attempt to resolve the issues.  This is a section 60I(8)(c) certificate.
5. That the parties attended family dispute resolution, but the family dispute resolution practitioner did not believe it was appropriate for the parties to continue due to the issues raised.  This is a section 60I(8)(d) certificate.