They did not split two years ago, they split a good while before that. He was having regular contact after the split and she had no problem with it, he would go to her house to pick them up whenever he wanted then drop them off again when she asked.
We met a good few months after they split and he rang her to tell her about us because he thought it would be better coming from him rather than anyone else telling her, he was wrong. She screamed down the phone (I heard it) that he would never see his "fucking" kids again and then messaged me on FB telling me that I was a slag and so on (she's never met me)
I don't know if she thought that they'd get back together or if she was just jealous or what but she's never let him see them since, she's made up allegations of violence to make the process longer now too.
It's not like he's not doing anything about it, we are 7 grand in to solicitor fees so far, he's back and fore court all the time. He's even been on parenting courses through his own choice and goes to "families need fathers" courses every week. He loves them and will do anything to see them.
They don't know about the baby because social services wanted him to wait to tell them incase it's too much for them at the moment while he's only just started having contact again and that's already a big deal for them when they haven't seen him for two years.
Social services want to do PLO order and give her so many weeks to wise up then take them off her if she doesn't because they're worried that she's emotionally abusing them plus she keeps breaking the court order. She also rings the police and makes false allegations all the time and has just had a fine for wasting police time.
It's not his fault that he hasn't seen them, it is certainty not through choice