Did it get harder to keep our children safe?

freyanneke_2

Just came back from a meeting with a solicitor. An abusive ex partner can still make life miserable. To challenge or stop certain impact to the children cost up to £5000? Maybe there are less safeguards in place, because you need to be rich to defend yourself and your children. Maybe I need to take up studying law, child psychology and therapeutic play after all?

balletshoes

nope, didn't understand a word of that. What are you talking about exactly?

fluffnutter

If you're a victim of domestic violence you can still get legal aid I believe. But for custody cases, divorces etc. it's been withdrawn.

freyanneke_2

Thank you for your messages. Clearly just fresh from this meeting and with so many things in my head, it was the wrong time to post.

So far what I have found out is that it is true that you still can get legal aid for a case that involves domestic violence, but it needs to have taken place in the last two years.

To go back to court to vary the contact order could cost me up to £5000.
In the mean time I am trying to find out what Social Services and the police can do, but so far it seems that it is all quite limited. Not because we doubt what has happened, but because proving it in court for a criminal matter is a totally different matter.

I hope this makes it all a bit clearer.

RAS

Really not at all clear.

Who are you? A parent whose has been abused or the abusing parent? A parent whose child has been abused by the other parent? Or a parent accused of abusing a child?

What does the contact order say? What do you want to happen?

Are you aware of wikidivorce and families need Fathers? Have you considered acting as a litigant in person (assuming that you are one of the parents)?

freyanneke_2

I am the parent who finds that the indirect contact order is still creating a lot of stress and upset with the children.

RAS

Thank you.

Are Social Services or CAFCASS still involved?

freyanneke_2

What does it mean to be a litigant in person? Which costs does it involve?

freyanneke_2

Social Services are, Caffcass aren't.

RAS

Litigant in person means that you represent yourself in court. Would you be able to do that?

Would Social Services support further restriction of the contact?

freyanneke_2

They would support it, yes. How hard is it to represent yourself in court and what would be the cost involved with that? Would I be able to be heard by the same judge that made the initial order?