{"id":44574,"date":"2026-03-30T09:06:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/?p=44574"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:06:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:06:53","slug":"blog-how-do-south-africas-courts-determine-the-care-and-contact-of-minor-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/blog-how-do-south-africas-courts-determine-the-care-and-contact-of-minor-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog | How do South Africa\u2019s courts determine the care and contact of minor children?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For parents in the process of divorcing or separating, the care and contact of minor children is often contentious. Under South African law, these arrangements are governed by the Children\u2019s Act and determined with reference to a key legal principle, namely \u2018the best interests of the child\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The legal framework<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Section 18 of the Children\u2019s Act provides the statutory framework for parental responsibilities and rights, including <a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/blog-key-concepts-understanding-guardianship-care-and-contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>care and contact<\/u><\/a> (previously referred to as custody and access). The Children\u2019s Court, Regional Magistrate\u2019s Court hearing divorce matters, and the High Court, which acts as the \u2018upper guardian of all minors\u2019, have jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes relating to children\u2019s care and contact. While Children\u2019s Courts deal with most day-to-day disputes, the High Court retains inherent jurisdiction and may intervene whenever necessary to protect a child\u2019s welfare.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The best interests of the child<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When determining care and contact arrangements, courts apply <a href=\"https:\/\/stbb.co.za\/dev2\/pulse-serving-the-best-interests-of-the-child-sca-upholds-high-court-decision-denying-father-primary-residence-and-care\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>the \u2018best interests of the child\u2019 standard<\/u><\/a>. Incorporated under section 28(2) of the Constitution and codified in section 7 of the Children\u2019s Act, this principle treats the child\u2019s best interests as \u2018paramount\u2019 in all matters concerning the child.<\/p>\n<p>Where parents cannot agree on care and contact arrangements following divorce or separation, a court will consider various factors, including the child\u2019s age and maturity, emotional needs, current standard of living, and the capacity of each parent to provide for the child\u2019s needs, to reach a decision that aligns with their best interests. Beyond this, our courts may consider any relevant factor in order to reach a decision that promotes the child\u2019s best interests.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, courts are often assisted by the Office of the Family Advocate, which conducts investigations and provides recommendations on what arrangements would serve the child\u2019s best interests. Parenting plans, mediation, and expert reports may also play a role in guiding the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<p><strong>An inclusive, child-centred approach<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Importantly, the court\u2019s inquiry is child-centred rather than parent-centred. As such, the convenience or preferences of the parents are secondary to the child\u2019s best interests. Adopting a case-by-case approach, the court assesses each matter on its own facts and circumstances. This may result in a variety of outcomes, including primary residence with one parent, shared care and contact, or supervised contact where necessary to safeguard the child.<\/p>\n<p>The Children\u2019s Act also recognises that more than one person may hold parental rights and responsibilities, and courts may assign care or contact to non-parents where appropriate. Applications for such orders may be brought by parents, interested parties, or even the child (with leave of the court), which reflects the Act\u2019s inclusive approach. Significantly, the Children\u2019s Act permits a child, who is of sufficient age and maturity, the right to express their views, which must be given due consideration. This ensures that the child\u2019s voice is heard, although it is not decisive.<\/p>\n<p>For expert legal guidance in all family law matters, <a href=\"mailto:info@stbb.co.za\/dev2?Subject=RE%20Blog%20How%20do%20South%20Africas%20courts%20determine%20the%20care%20and%20contact%20of%20minor%20children%20enquiry\"><u>contact our skilled team of Cape Town-based divorce attorneys today<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 12px; text-align: left;\"><em>This content is the property of STBB. We encourage the sharing of our content for informational purposes. However, if you wish to copy or reproduce our content on your own platform or website, please ensure that proper credit is given to STBB, along with including a link to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For parents in the process of divorcing or separating, the care and contact of minor children is often contentious. Under South African law, these arrangements are governed by the Children\u2019s Act and determined with reference to a key legal principle,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":364,"featured_media":44575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,87,137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-published-divorce-child-and-family-law","category-blog","category-latest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - 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