While children do not get to make decisions about their care arrangements, the family law court can consider their views. A court will look at a child’s age, maturity, and whether someone influenced their opinions. This helps the court decide how much importance to give the child’s views.
A parent should not ask a child directly what care arrangements they want. Instead, the child’s wishes are established through a nonintrusive interview with an independent person qualified to have these discussions with children. This may include an interview to prepare a family report or a mediator conducting a child-inclusive mediation.
You can obtain more information on these processes in an obligation-free consultation with one of our family lawyers.