Filing your forms with the court clerk.Having your forms reviewed by your attorney or a family law facilitator appointed by the court.In order to ask for a court hearing to change your existing custody and visitation order, you will have to look at the rules in your jurisdiction which can include some or all of the following requirements. The judge may decide to follow the recommendation or may decide to do something different. A custody evaluator will then review the evidence and interview family members to make a custody recommendation to a judge. The parents or the court may request a custody evaluation for complex custody cases. Family friends or babysitters can be brought in to testify about the child’s living situation and patterns documents such as report cards from school and health records can also be useful. The issues which surround the need for a custody change can be difficult to prove and it may be necessary to bring witnesses and experts to testify in your case. A parent that is seeking the custody modification will need to file a motion or petition, which is a type of written request to a judge, along with submitting evidence which shows the change in circumstances. In some jurisdictions where there is “child custody recommending counseling”, a counselor will make a recommendation to the judge. If the parents are not able to reach an agreement in mediation, they will both go in front of the judge who will then make a decision. If the parents choose to resolve their custody and visitation issues with the help of a trained mediator, the mediator can also probably help them write up an agreement that the judge may sign. Once the court approves the custody plan, it will become an official court order. Any proposed agreement will be reviewed by a judge to make sure that the child’s best interests are served. Sometimes, parents are able to work out custody schedules by themselves while other times, a mediator is needed to help the parents come to an agreement. If the parents are able to communicate with each other effectively, they can reach their own agreement and a judge would not have to get involved.