Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To stop ex husband seeing children

112 replies

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 20:30

I don't want to and will probably get flamed but I'm sick with stress and not sure what to do . Kicked husband of 15 years out for infidelity and drugs , he was doing cocaine and sleeping around for 2 years without my knowledge. Since he moved out he's only seen the children here in the family home , it's supposed to be 3 times a week but he isn't consistent and hasnt seen them at a weekend for over 6 weeks . I wouldn't trust him to have them on his own and he never had them on his own when we were together (he isn't asking for more contact either ) , one child has additional needs that he doesn't cope well with . I feel like he's spiralling with drink and drugs - I've had 5 plus people tell me recently that they think he's a problem and they wouldn't have him around the kids. This is people that have seen him out or what he's been posting online (I'm not on social media thankfully)
I find him reckless and irresponsible, also a bit frightening. He has threatened to top himself when he's not got his own way- he has also been aggressive and threatening towards me in the past , I logged one incident with the police after he'd left but played it down as I felt guilty for calling them - looking back it was in some ways an emotionally abusive relationship towards the end .
I've been on hold for 3 hours to 101 to update them and try to get some advice but just got cut off . My problem now is it makes me feel uneasy when he's here , the man he is now isn't someone I would chose to have around the children , he's unstable , unpredictable and can be very intimidating. He's fallen asleep during contact and got very agitated when I've woken him and threatened to not come and see them again - upsetting for them ! He's not a good dad or a good role model and if he is in fact getting more involved with drink and drugs then I don't want the kids around him . I just don't know what to do , do I wait until he slips up while he's here ? Do I tell him he should stay away until he's sorted himself out ? I would never know if he was on something - and all I really have to go on is hearsay / rumours . Any advice or signposting would be greatly appreciated, my friend said call children's services see what they say . We are not in court over contact or anything , it's just what we initially agreed . I don't feel like I can just say he can't see them anymore , but I'm not happy about him being here . There's no family that could facilitate contact and I don't have any suggestions for how he could see them that doesn't involve coming here . I don't know 😵‍💫 he's really not that fussed about them - but I don't want to be the woman that stops a father seeing his kids . Sorry this is a bit rambled I'm rushing coz need to get kids in bed . Thanks in advance anyway x

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:05

I don't know how I would prove they are at risk by having contact with him - that's why I'm asking for help on how to deal with this situation

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:06

@Redruby2020 thanks

OP posts:
oldstudentmum · 17/11/2021 21:07

Children’s services don’t get involved in arranging separated parents contact arrangements. All they will say is you must act protectively which u are doing. You could apply to the courts for a child arrangement order (depending on your finances the fee could be waived) and stipulate that the children reside with you, and contact is at your home. Set days times ,Contact could be refused if he is under the influence or you could ask for a contact centre .
A friend went down asking for children’s services to help with contact. All they did was make her life not pleasant for quite a while. And her former partner didn’t even live or previously live with her.
I would go the legal route. I did. Didn’t even have a solicitor.

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:07

I don't think he's mentally stable what with the threats to kill himself and drink / drug use - that's what I'll be telling them tomorrow

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:09

@oldstudentmum see I wasn't sure I could go to court for anything as resident parent

OP posts:
BananaPB · 17/11/2021 21:09

If you stopped contact, is he the type to take you to court?

If not it might be for the best for contact to end. Half an hour is not really meaningful contact is it ?

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:09

I'm not sure what he'd do

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:10

I helped him self represent in court years ago to get access to his son 😳

OP posts:
Dillydollydingdong · 17/11/2021 21:11

He'll get bored and fed up with coming to see the DC. Most of the inadequate fathers do. Just give it a bit of time.

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:12

Hypothetically, if he came here and demanded to take them somewhere - how could I stop him . Phone the police and say I think he may have a drug problem ?

OP posts:
RatInADollhouse · 17/11/2021 21:14

I completely understand why you wouldn’t want your kids to see their father like this. I wouldn’t either. But if the legal standard is that the children have to be at risk them you need to be able to describe the specific risks you believe he poses when he is with the kids in your home under your supervision. Falling asleep is unpleasant but not unsafe. It sounds like he says things that are pretty nasty and it’s awful for your kids to have to hear that but I don’t know if a court would take that as posing a risk. But you can make him stay out of your house and if he doesn’t bother to make any effort to see them that’s his choice.

DerbyshireMama · 17/11/2021 21:14

He sounds very much like my (almost) ex husband. Although it was my decision to stop contact I'd say it was a choice I was forced into rather than one I made independently. He moaned but because he actually only cares about himself and his highs, he's never made formal steps towards contact arrangements. Lots of people are happy to slate "mums who keep kids away from dads" but in my opinion my daughter has a much better chance of growing into a mentally healthy and strong adult without his influence - yes, I know there will be hard times in the future because of this but all I can do is try my best to give her the tools to deal with that whenever the time comes. Stability and security and normalcy is much more important than having some waster on and off the scene just because you share DNA with them. It's a shit position they put us in.

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:15

What can I apply at the courts for though ? To solidify arrangements / times dates etc ?

OP posts:
dancemom · 17/11/2021 21:15

15 years ago? How old are your kids?

BananaPB · 17/11/2021 21:15

If you have a Child Arrangement Order it will give times that he can see the kids. At other times you'd be able to say no and the police would help

BananaPB · 17/11/2021 21:16

You'd be able to insist on supervised at first but if he cooperates then he'd get unsupervised

DerbyshireMama · 17/11/2021 21:16

Don't apply to the courts for anything. If he doesn't want to see them reliably now a court order isn't going to change that. You can stop contact and just wait for him to file with court. Spoiler alert: he won't.

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:17

@dancemom husband of 15 years . Children 7&9

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:17

@BananaPB yeah I don't want that

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:18

It's the actual stopping contact part I'm not sure how to go about as well

OP posts:
saleorbouy · 17/11/2021 21:19

I would suggest you contact womens aid or similar to see if they can arrange somewhere outside of your house as a contact centre for his supervised visits.
This will allow you do not have him in your home but also enable others to see how he reacts to the children and you if there are an issues as his substance abuse continues.
At least you will have a third party to intervene if things get out of hand an a witness to his actions.
It might also be the path he needs to admit his addiction and seek help.

sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:23

@saleorbouy but he'd have to agree to that . I'm thinking as a start I might suggest to him that as he's been so inconsistent with arrangements we re-discuss when he sees them , ie once in the week and once at weekend - because if the last 6 weeks are anything to go by he won't bother with them weekends and if he does come to see them in the week it's at tea time and he doesn't stay long

OP posts:
sal1223 · 17/11/2021 21:24

So cut it back and let it fizzle out

OP posts:
BananaPB · 17/11/2021 21:25

@sal1223

It's the actual stopping contact part I'm not sure how to go about as well
The easiest way for you is him losing interest.

Are you making the visits more comfortable by providing food and drink for instance ?

greendiva · 17/11/2021 21:25

Hi, you getting random and i some inaccurate advice here. Most family solicitors offer free 30min advice, make use of that with. Mediation would be required prior to family court. You can go to court to have contact arrangement made official. This can also be done at mediation and then ratified. The NSPCC can offer advice to you on an anonymous basis on a helpline.

If you're frightened of him and he's frightening in front of the kids, it's ok to stop contact. My advice would be get some legal advice. Mediation won't be possible if he's likely to be under the influence of abusive. Try and avoid court if you can, as others have said sounds like he won't do much if you stop doing the running.

Swipe left for the next trending thread