What sort of things does a Judge or Federal Magistrate think about before making a decision?
The main thing the Judge or Federal Magistrate will think about is what is best for you because they don’t think it’s good for children to have too many changes or upsets. The Judge or Federal Magistrate will think about who you have mainly been living with so far, how happy you are about that, whether you might need to change schools or move away from friends, whether there has been any violence in your family or whether you have been treated badly or neglected by one of your parents, or whether one of your parents is away from home a lot of the time because of their work. The Judge or Federal Magistrate will think about all of these things before deciding what would be best for you. • Can a Judge or Federal Magistrate stop me seeing the parent I don’t live with? This doesn’t happen very often. The Family Court says you have a right to see and know both of your parents and spend time with them. The only time a Judge or Federal Magistrate will stop you seeing one of your parents is if
