Alex's Answer

Hi there and welcome to Ask Alex, 

You have told us you want to live with your dad, that for 10 years he wasn’t around but then he came back. Now a court trial is coming up and you are afraid they will say no to what you would like to happen. 

It must have been very hard to not have your dad around for 10 years. Now that he is back in your life, you want to spend as much time with him as possible. 

As we don’t know what your current living situation is, whether you are living with another family member or if you are in foster care, we hope our answer can cover whatever scenario you are in.  

Court cases can be tough, and when it comes to deciding who you will be living with, it can bring up a lot of anxiety, worry, excitement, fear…all at the same time.  

At the court hearing, it will be ensured that their decision keeps you safe from harm. That means that what they decide, they will be looking at your needs being covered, that you are safeguarded, that you have access to an education, etc. Being 15 it could be possible that they ask for your views and your wishes. It will be the overall information on your current situation that will determine one thing or the other.  

We know that can sound frustrating, but we encourage you to remember that the court will be trying to keep you safe no matter what, and that their decision can be reviewed for changes to made after a period, should it be a disappointing outcome for you.  

Because it is very difficult to be in a situation like this, we think it would come in handy to know that there are different services around who support young people during these complicated moments. These are a couple of them: 

• One Family onefamily.ie/  
• The Voice of the Child www.thevoiceofthechild.ie/  

If you feel you would like to talk with someone about this a bit more, Childline is always here for you. We can be reached at 1800 66 66 66 or through the Live Chat on our website www.childline.ie . 

We hope this helps! Wishing you best of luck, 

Alex