When the court makes decisions about child custody and parenting plans, the judge will always consider what is best for the child. The bottom line in every custody matter is the best interests of the children.
Essentially, this means the court only cares about what works for the children and what will be the situation that best suits their mental and physical health.
Evaluation
When the court considers what is best for the children, the judge will look at a variety of factors. All of these focus on the children. The court will only care about what the parents need or want if it is impacting the children. The court does not make custody decisions based on what works best for the parents because the court is responsible to look out for the children in a situation.
Factors
During the evaluation, the court will look at obvious matters that would impact the children, such as domestic violence or abuse problems. The judge will also consider who the children feel most comfortable with and who gives the most care to the children. The court will also assess the relationships between each parent and the children and look at the overall history of the family. The judge wants to see if one parent is offering the children a better environment. But the judge will also think about the ability of each parent to take care of the kids.
The court will take time to consider each parent and how they care for the children. The judge will also consider the relationships of everyone involved. Ideally, the best interests of the children will be an equal relationship with both parents. But if that does not happen, the judge will place the children with the parent who offers the safest and most secure environment.
