What happens if a restraining order and a family court parenting order seem to conflict?

When a restraining order and a parenting order appear to conflict — for example, a no-contact condition that doesn't clearly account for a required parenting exchange — the practical answer is that both orders need to be read together, and where there's a genuine conflict, the affected party should go back to the same family court to have the orders clarified or reconciled, rather than guessing which one controls. Courts generally try to avoid drafting orders that conflict in the first place by building specific exceptions into a restraining order for necessary contact, such as through a third party or a structured exchange method, but conflicts can still arise, especially where orders were made at different times.

Acting on a mistaken assumption about which order controls can be risky, since breaching a restraining order is a criminal matter regardless of what a parenting order says, so anyone facing an apparent conflict should treat the more restrictive condition as controlling until the court clarifies things, and bring the issue back to court promptly. A lawyer can help identify the specific inconsistency and bring a motion to have it addressed.