ncp making trouble

Legacy_user

non custodial parent is seeing child via contact centre , she has made various allegations which has brought forward court preceedings , is there anyway to get the court to listen to what the child has to say ? as no one seems interested in the childs opinions . can dad contact social services to request they see the child as an independant party ? s/s currently not involved and cafcass are worse than useless .

jammy26

how old is the child?

System

she is 9 yrs old , no one seems to be listening to her. she does want to see her mum [dad has no objection ] but mum is an alcoholic waste of space .

tandraig

chrissy - not sure about this - but I would consult a family law solicitor to see if they could represent her at the hearing. not sure if that would have to be done by you, in which case i imagine it would cost you - or your child could instruct her own! may be worth asking for the fifteen minute free time with a solicitor to find this out?

System

he has a solicitor but not sure if they are competent [sp] he has a meeting monday, her solicitor deliberatly hand delivers threats/documents late friday evening so he gets worked up over the weekend. cafcass are supposed to be involved but so far havent seen her.

tandraig

I see - in that case i would raise your concerns with his (sorry i said her didnt i?) solicitor. be honest and tell him how you feel...........he may just have an unfortunate manner and be spot on in court! but i understand this is the kids life here - so if you are still unhappy with solicitor - perhaps a different one would be better?

System

thanks for your replies but its not me its my brother who laid down with this troll from hell , feel free to look through my previous posts to find references to my DD .

daska

If the court wants a report from CAFCASS then the court will wait for it rather than take a decision in it's absence - but the report will be based on what the court reporter believes is in the best interests of the child, which may not tally with anyone else's view. If the child instructs a solicitor, which can only happen if the child is mature enough to understand what they are doing, the solicitor is there to represent the child's views and wishes, regardless of 'best interest'.

I would think that regularly hand delivering letters late on a Friday could be regarded as harassment, I suggest your brother ask his solicitor about formally requesting that all correspondence is delivered to the solicitor's office - the peace of mind might be worth the extra cost.

tandraig

about the hand delivering letters late on friday - if you look at it another way - the solicitor is ensuring the letters are delivered and giving you an extra couple of days to read them and think about things. if they were posted on friday you wouldnt get them until monday or tuesday. he is going a bit above and beyond the call of duty there - the solicitors I used to work for didnt care if clients got letters a bit late or too late - they were just posted via royal mail!

verysillyguy06

Its a difficult one, at 9 the child's view is just starting to be taken'more serious' ...Cafcass should have talked to your daughter. Social Care would not usually get involved unless there is CP alleged and then they would be asked by the court themselves....


Has Cafcass seen the child? Has the child got a ' responsible adult' involved or has the mother still got full PR and is seen as able to use them?

jammy26

ask the cafcass officer to appoint an independent advocate for the child.