> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Week-pattern builder

> A structured tool for designing a weekly routine schedule — every day of the week, every time block, who has the children, what the changeover looks like. The detailed cousin to clause 2 of the parenting plan.

import { Steps, Step, CardGroup, Card, Note, Tip } from '@mintlify/components'

The **week-pattern builder** inside the Parenting Planner is the structured editor for clause 2 (Live with / spend time with). Where clause 2's text describes the routine in legal-friendly prose, the week-pattern builder lets you set the routine block-by-block in a visual interface — and then generates the clean clause text from your inputs.

## When to use the builder vs writing clause 2 directly

The clause 2 surface accepts free-form text. Many users draft clause 2 directly because their routine is simple ("Monday-Friday with father, Saturday-Sunday with mother, alternating weeks").

The week-pattern builder pays off when:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The routine is more nuanced" icon="puzzle-piece">
    Different weekdays have different arrangements. Mid-week dinners with the non-resident parent. After-school care variations. Different hand-over points for different days.
  </Card>

  <Card title="You're negotiating with the other party" icon="message">
    Visual editing is faster to negotiate against than text. Both parties can see exactly what each proposed change does. Less ambiguity.
  </Card>

  <Card title="You want clean clause text" icon="sparkles">
    The builder generates clause text in a consistent house style. Particularly useful for filings as Consent Orders where drafting consistency matters.
  </Card>

  <Card title="You're considering alternatives" icon="diagram-project">
    The builder can store multiple routine options ("week-on-week-off", "5/9", "alternate-weekends-plus-Wednesday") and switch between them. Useful for testing what each looks like on the [parenting calendar](/parenting-planner/parenting-calendar).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What the builder produces

A typical week-pattern builder output includes:

* **The base routine** — who the children are with on each weekday and weekend day
* **Time blocks** — start and end times for each block
* **Changeover points** — where the children are physically handed over (school pickup, residence, third-party location)
* **Mid-week contact** — phone calls, dinners, after-school activities
* **The alternating pattern** — which week is which (week 1 / week 2, or odd / even week numbers, or other patterns)
* **Term-time vs school-holiday distinction** — many routines vary across these two contexts

The builder generates clause 2 text from these inputs in plain English suitable for a parenting plan.

## Building a routine

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose a starting pattern">
    The builder offers common patterns as starting points:

    * **Week-on / week-off** — alternating full weeks with each parent
    * **5/2/2/5** — children with one parent Monday-Tuesday, the other Wednesday-Thursday, alternating weekends (Friday-Sunday)
    * **2/2/3** — alternating two-day blocks with a three-day weekend, rotating which parent has the weekend
    * **9/5** — children primarily with one parent (9 days per fortnight), substantial-and-significant time with the other (5 days per fortnight)
    * **Custom** — start blank and build from scratch

    Pick whichever is closest to what you have in mind. You can modify any block after starting.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the day blocks">
    For each day of the week (Monday through Sunday), specify which parent has the children for which time block.

    A day might be a single block ("Monday — with father, all day") or split into multiple blocks ("Monday — with father 6am-3pm, with mother 3pm-bedtime").

    Most routines use whole-day blocks. Multi-block days appear in routines with mid-week dinners or shared after-school care.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the changeover points">
    For each transition between parents, specify:

    * **Where the changeover happens** — school pickup, the residence of one parent, a neutral location, a third-party's residence
    * **At what time** — exact time or time range
    * **Who delegates if needed** — can a trusted family member or friend collect the children if the parent can't be there?
    * **Late or no-show protocol** — what happens if the receiving parent is late or doesn't show

    The builder applies sensible defaults but you can override each.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set mid-week contact (if any)">
    Phone calls, video calls, after-school visits, dinner-only contact — anything that crosses the routine schedule.

    Each contact has: which parent calls (or visits), how often, what duration, what time of day.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the alternating pattern">
    For routines that alternate (week-on/week-off, alternate weekends), specify which week is which:

    * **Reference start date** — the first day of "week 1" or "week A"
    * **Pattern** — week 1 / week 2 / week 1 / week 2, or AA-BB, or other
    * **Holidays exception** — does the alternation reset across school holidays? Continue through? See clause 2's school-holiday allocation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set term-time vs school-holiday distinction (if applicable)">
    Many routines have a term-time pattern and a school-holiday pattern. The builder lets you set one for each:

    * **Term-time** — the default routine when school is on
    * **School holidays** — a separate pattern for when school is on holiday (often: alternating week blocks, or first-half / second-half splits)

    Public holidays in term-time can stay with the routine or have their own treatment ("public holidays during a school term remain with the parent who has the children that day"; "public holidays in long weekends alternate", etc.).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Preview on the calendar">
    Click **Preview** to see the generated routine on the [parenting calendar](/parenting-planner/parenting-calendar). Walk through the next 3–6 months. Check it produces what you intended.

    Common things to spot:

    * Do public holidays land where you'd want?
    * Do special occasions (Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays) land cleanly or overlap with awkward routine boundaries?
    * Is the time-percentage split what you intended? The platform shows the actual split alongside the calendar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate clause 2 text">
    Click **Generate clause text**. The platform produces clean clause-2 prose from your inputs.

    The text is editable — you can adjust tone, add specific language, modify any auto-generated wording. The underlying routine remains tracked in the builder so the calendar stays in sync.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common patterns and what they produce

| Pattern                                           | Term-time time split | Trade-offs                                                                                                         |
| ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Week-on / week-off                                | 50/50                | Simple. Long blocks may be hard for younger children. Single-week absences from each parent.                       |
| 5/2/2/5 (children with each parent every 2 weeks) | 50/50                | Children see each parent every week. More handovers.                                                               |
| 2/2/3                                             | 50/50                | Even shorter blocks. Highest handover frequency. Often used with younger children.                                 |
| 9/5 (alternating weekend + Wednesday)             | \~64/36              | Primary-care pattern with substantial-and-significant time. Most-common pattern in matters with one primary carer. |
| 13/1 (occasional contact)                         | \~93/7               | Far rarer; usually only with safety considerations driving it.                                                     |

The platform doesn't recommend a pattern — that's strategic, fact-driven, and varies enormously. The builder gives you the tool; the choice is yours.

## What the builder will not do

* **It will not negotiate the routine for you.** Visual building is faster than text negotiation, but the negotiation itself is yours.
* **It will not predict whether the court will accept the routine.** The [Strategic briefing](/parenting-planner/strategic-briefing) does that evaluation.
* **It will not handle special-occasion overrides automatically.** Mother's Day, Father's Day, children's birthdays are clause 5; the builder leaves those to clause 5's editor.

<Tip>
  **Build, preview, edit, repeat.** The builder is for iteration. Set a starting pattern, preview on the calendar, see what doesn't work, adjust, preview again. Most refined routines go through 3–5 iterations before they feel right.
</Tip>

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The eleven clauses" icon="list-ol" href="/parenting-planner/the-eleven-clauses">
    Clause 2 (Live with / spend time with) in legal context.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Parenting calendar" icon="calendar-days" href="/parenting-planner/parenting-calendar">
    Where the builder's output renders visually.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Strategic briefing" icon="chess-king" href="/parenting-planner/strategic-briefing">
    Where the routine you build is strategically evaluated.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Best-interests analysis" icon="children" href="/parenting-planner/best-interests-analysis">
    How the routine maps to s60CC considerations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>