Do children have a right to see absent parent

[Hotsausage2]

Just that really, is there anything in law which says that this is the case? There is a long back story and trying to keep it short is impossible! Just would like to know if a child would have the right to turn up to the NRP address and if so, what would happen if there was issues such as violence and aggression

They have a right to a meaningful relationship with both parents it's set out in the children's act

How old if they could just 'turn up'?

16 years old.

As PP said but you can't make the NRP see the child if they don't want to. There is no way to enforce the contact. If the child turns up at the door then it isn't enforceable for the parent to see them they can just turn them away. At 16 I don't think you can stop them rocking up if they want to and have means to travel.

How do you propose that that right is enforced?

The child can turn up on the NRP’s doorstep. But there’s a lot to think about before that happens. And a lot of preparation to handle a potential rejection or other less-than-positive reception.

Why does the child want to do this?

I’m not- I’m being told that hence why I am asking the question!

No - if the NRP refused to come to the door, the child would have no right to eg call the police to have them summoned outside etc.

There is no right in law for any person to see anyone else.

Who is being violent?

I believe it is due to family issues. The child no longer sees the mother either and is living with relatives who are pushing for contact with a totally absent father. It is very messy, but they want the young person to just turn up at the absent parents house.

The young person.

Thankyou all. Your replies have really helped going forward.x

The law is almost irrelevant here, what does the child want. Does the child want to turn up on the absent parents doorstep. Are they prepared for outright rejection. What support do they have in place should that happen?

Even at 16 the child’s best interests should be the priority. Would a relationship with a parent make life easier for these other relatives. Is their push to make the child take a huge risk actually for their benefit not the child’s?

I feel really sorry for this kid.

No parent can be made to have contact they don't want to have, which is hard for lots of kids on divorce. I know mothers heartbroken by men who have left and won't have anything to do with the kids, sometimes out of the blue because they've met someone else. The law is there to help parents who do want contact, not to force those who don't.

At 16, they're a minor, but not a child. The child has the right to contact if that is safe and if the parent wants it, but nobody has the right to force unwanted contact on anyone else.

The Children Act principle was to get away from the idea of "custody" where a child was controlled by an adult, and adults had the right to visitation, and over to the right of the child to maintain relationships with both parents, so the language was changed to "residence" and "contact". So the right to a meaningful relationship was to stress that it is about the best interests of the child - that the right isn't of an adult to see the child, but the child to see that adult.

That's a world away from what is being described here.

A sixteen year old has no right to access anyone else's home. A right to financial support till 18, and end of education (and possibly university support, if parents are split, under Children Act, too) yes. A right to spend time with the parent, when the parent doesn't want that, no.

Whoever is pushing them to arrive on the doorstep is not thinking of the best interests of that young person. If they're turned away it will be a horrible, and from the sounds of it additional, rejection. That's going to help nothing and nobody.

This sounds like a heartbreaking situation, OP. I'm so sorry if you are personally involved and trying to help everyone navigate what sounds messy and painful.

Thankyou- you have answered everything. Rightly or wrongly there has never been any contact with this young person ever, but there has been ongoing pressure via messages and indeed person from the relatives to have the young person visit the absent parents home. The address is now public knowledge. However, no contact is wanted and the young person has a history of violence and aggression hence the concern.

I am on the outside luckily. Thankyou for your help.x

Sounds like they want the child off their hands. It’s a cruel way to go about it thought. The adults should do the adulting and contact the father first. Lay the groundwork and gauge his reaction to meeting his child.