Children’s Needs
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Being a parent is something you do for the rest of your life once you have a child.
Both parents are legally responsible for their child until the child is 18 years of age.
Parents need to:
People with disabilities may need extra support to help care for children.
When you are pregnant it is important not to drink alcohol or take drugs as they can hurt the baby.
Each state and territory have different laws about child protection. These laws tell you what happens to someone under 18 years of age if they are not kept safe by their parent or guardian. When this happens a court can make rules about how a child needs to be cared for.
These court rules can say:
A court rule can say a child will not live with their parent or guardian. If this happens a child will live somewhere else. A child may live with other family members, foster parents, or support workers. A child may live somewhere else for a short time.
Sometimes a child will live somewhere else until they are over 18 years of age and can look after themself. A parent or guardian may be able to visit their child who lives somewhere else. This can happen if visiting helps their child and the family.
The law says:
