Rights on overnight contact

Loobysaver

Hiya,

Can you tell me whether my partners ex can prevent overnight stays with us for their children on the basis that they don't have their own living space i.e bed etc.

When my partners children stay over (if they are allowed) there will be 5 children having to share 1 normal sized bedroom and a tiny box room. It will be a squeeze but we can manage with some topping and tailing and one sleeping on an air bed.

If it went to court, how would they view it?

GEEGEE8

How old are the children and are they male/female? this might have an influence..

Loobysaver

Both sexes ranging in age from 8 upto 15.

Loopy_Girl

How do the kids feel about it? That court would take that into consideration spesh with the older ones?

Do they whinge about it or is it (as I would suspect!!) a big adventure to them?

Loobysaver

It hasn't happened yet. Basically my partner is moving in with me soon but his ex has said that he can't have them overnight once he does so!

I think the kids still want to sleep over as they have been used to spending lots of time with their Dad Obviously time would tell if they hated it!

littlemissmoney

I don't think it's reasonable to expect teenager siblings to share a single bed. Could you put some airbeds in the living room?

Loopy_Girl

Loobysaver wrote: »

It hasn't happened yet. Basically my partner is moving in with me soon but his ex has said that he can't have them overnight once he does so!

I think the kids still want to sleep over as they have been used to spending lots of time with their Dad Obviously time would tell if they hated it!

It sounds like she has an issue with you being there and is hiding behind a smokescreen and using space as an excuse....in which case it's a whole different 'arguement'.

The kids need to see their Dad and if they are happy with the situation then I don't see why she should stop contact.

Have you been with your Partner for a while? Met the kids and get on okay with them all?
I'm just thinking that she may have concerns if the kids hardly know you - abd quite right too obviously. As their Mum she has to have their welfare paramount.

But if she's just doing it to be spiteful then.....oh dear:eek:

delain

Have the older ones sleep downstairs, they will like this and itd be much preferable to sharing beds with much younger siblings!

gratefulforhelp_2

I'm not sure that the average person would deem those arrangements to be in the best interests of the children.

I think your partner needs to make proper provision for having his children sleep over, and I don't think this necessarily reflects issues his ex has about you (if any).

I hope he can do this without detriment to your plans together.

liney

Have the older children sleep in the living room, or the younger children sleep on airbeds in your bedroom.

I don't think it is deemed appropriate for opposit sex children to share a room after the age of 10. http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/milliontackle
and http://www.safekids.co.uk/should-children-opposite-sex-share-bedroom.html.

Just a thought, but if the older children are yours, could they arrange sleep overs with friends sometimes and you reciprocate wen the younger ones aren't there, to ease the arrangments slightly.

pinkmoonshine

I agree with gratefulforhelp. The courts will not deem it appropriate for teenage children of different sexes to share the same bedroom. Children of that age are going through puberty and ought to have their own space and privacy. I suggest you either give up your bedroom when all the children are staying so you can put some of them there or get a sofa bed or something similar for downstairs. I think you need to find a practical solution to put same sex children together or the youngest children together, say under 10s.