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Divorce/separation

cafcass & 'child' demands

9 replies

user1484322557 · 13/01/2017 18:02

Hello, this is my first thread and I was looking for your opinions on a situation a close friend has found themselves in. They are due to meet with their child at cafcass next week but apparently she will only attend if her passport is brought along. Is this sort of thing acceptable & can a child impose these conditions? Surely contact is simply that & not a bargaining tool? Child is 13yrs. I know they don't want to hand over the passport as the other parents has been demanding it & there are concerns about why it's needed. Any advice? TIA

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ddrmum · 14/01/2017 07:04

I'd be surprised if that was allowed but then again................

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kittybiscuits · 14/01/2017 07:16

Is your friend the NRP and do they have the child's passport and the child wants it returned? I would find it hard to understand why the NRP has it and won't return it.

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user1484322557 · 14/01/2017 08:35

Yes, there's a temp.residence given to the dad. The girl is pretty good for the most part - whenever I see her. From what i understand, cafcass is acting as a 'guardian'? The dad a 'lovely piece of work' & not happy that my friend divorced him. He's a proper control freak so I suspect this passport demand is nothing to do with the child but he uses her as a conduit as it's not in a court order. It's so wrong. I can't see how any demands would be allowed by any organisation interested in child welfare, then again not having any experience of it maybe that's how it works.

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kittybiscuits · 14/01/2017 08:39

I'm not really sure about the passport question but it seems a bit surprising for him to get temp residence of a 13 year old - surely it's pretty much what the child wants to do at that age? Are there younger siblings? Does your friend have proper legal representation?

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Newbrummie · 15/01/2017 13:35

I got made to hand the passports into the court as I was threatening to return to the uk. Who ever is the resident parent holds the passport, but requires the others permission to leave for more than a month at a time

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ddrmum · 16/01/2017 10:27

I feel for your friend. In a similar position myself- it's so hard

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donners312 · 17/01/2017 17:42

newbrummie - you need the other parents permission to leave the uk even for a day.

you can leave for a month if you get a court order to say you don't need their permission.