I think thats what the Childrens act says anyway- thaty once the child reaches a certain age they have the choice-
unfortunately some mothers will still lie to the court and feed the child lies about the parent

yes i know situations like this

The older the child the more the child will be listened to. You can have two fourteen year olds one extremely immature and the other mature for its age. One of the factors which has to be taken into account is the asscertainable wishes and feelings of the child but it is against the background of his/her age and understanding. As teenagers particularly 14 upwards the Court tend not to make orders as the child is going into puberty and not only does the child have to contend with parents who may have separated but the change in the child's emotional position due to those wonderful things called hormones. Children of this age will vote with their feet.

I still believe wholeheartedly that the system we have in place is probably the best when compared to other countries.

Dont get me wrong I do have sympathy for fathers but at the end of the day it is what is in the best interests of the children rather than that of the parents.

Tessa

but can the people involved with making the decisions outside of the family always see exactly whats going on i know people who tell terrible lies about their ex husbands! the woman is normally believed.

Katyb

Yes I understand where you are coming from. Normally when there is a dispute and it is put in the hands of the Court Cafcass are normally brought in if there welfare issues being alleged. Those preparing the reports are highly experienced in family work and will normally speak where relevant and dependent on the childs age to Health Visitors, school, social services, police etc.

If for example a parent raises issues where that parent is basically saying that it is not in the best interest of the child for there to be contact but Cafcass or any other independent body brought into the proceedings find no evidence to support that parent then the matter will normally proceed to a finding of fact hearing. The Judge will make an order based on the facts presented to him or her. If the Judge makes an order for contact but the party still refuses to allow contact then there are remedies available.

I'm afraid if a party is not entitled to public funding yes it is costly.

Tessa