Appel & Associates

25/06/2017

I was attracted to this matter because of the frequency that diet often gets raised in parenting disputes and on rarer occasions in child protection cases. Clients are often surprised that courts generally treat these type of complaints with a bit of a yawn.

The approach being suggested by NSW is problematic for a number of reasons but the one most people should be concerned about is the figures being quoted around childhood obesity.

Its these figures that are framing the crisis for its advocates. I don't have the Victorian figures (they are probably similar) but in NSW the official line is that 25% of children are obese and the CDC asserts 20% in the United States.

The basis for these figures is the Body Mass Index (BMI) tool which, surprise surprise doesn't actually directly measure body fat. So in other words a kid could actually be holding a fair bit of muscle or bone weight and end up labelled obese because they fit the diagnostic definition using the BMI.

Interested to hear the thoughts of others on this or alternatively if you want some legal advice on if overfeeding your child is likely to see you end up in the family court...please ask!

23/06/2017

A great point of contact for families experiencing difficulty and hardship is the Child FIRST Referral and Support Team. You can catch up with them at Family Care's offices at 19 Welsford Street or if you are in Seymour, down near the Hospital at 64 High Street.

Don't assume that as your kids get a bit older support services cannot help you. As any parent knows from sharing house with a teenager, it comes as quite a shock as you watch those little "quirks" that were so amusing at age 5 become a real deal-breaker at 15!

https://www.facebook.com/FamilyCare-Helping-families-find-solutions-251562118539236/

We offer family services, carer and disability support services to families in Shepparton, Seymour, Cobram, Kinglake, Wallan and surrounding districts.

16/06/2017

https://www.appelassociates.com.au/

Its OK Not To Be Alone We Will Help

14/06/2017

As you might have heard this morning, a lone gunman decided to shape-up against the Republican congressional baseball team in Washington. Someone already noted to me this morning the irony of this kind of attack against what is probably quite a pro-gun group of legislators. I am not sure about the victim's views on this but lots of hand-wringing this morning about the vitriolic state of American political culture.

14/06/2017

The report into disability providers by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was released today. Not had a chance to read it yet but I will provide update as soon as I do