Representing myself in family court....any advice please?

[Starleaf]

I have a hearing in just over a month to vary an existing court order, which my ex continually breaks.
I had a solicitor a year ago for the first hearing, and had to borrow money for this so cannot afford one this time. I did contact him regarding the present problems I am experiencing, and he advised I represent myself which I plan to do.
My ex will have a barrister in court, I am so worried that they'll pick me to pieces. He is a compulsive liar, and very believable.
Has anyone taken the route of representing themselves, if so any advice would be gratefully received.

I represented myself. I would say that so long as you ensure that you are well prepared and are honest then you can't go too wrong. Have a think through in advance what information you need to take with you and what questions might be asked. You can always make some notes to take with you if you think that might help.

My Ex had a barrister and I represented myself. Someone told me the judge has to keep things balanced and sort of help you.

At least you will deal with the barrister and not Ex which i preferred.

Good luck.

Good for you! And I take my hat off to you! The judge has a duty to make sure things are balanced.... just because your ex has money doesn't mean it should stop you flight for what is right! Kick arse and keep us posted

Dealing with barrister of ex is better than dealing direct with ex.
Judge will ensure balance.
Have all important facts written down.
Anticipate his arguments and how to refute them.
Ensure all your points highlight what is best for the children.

Have a practice session with a friend who knows background, ask them to be as antagonistic as possible.

Thank you all for your replies. You've all boosted my confidence.
Another question though, I have audio recordings of ex and his older daughter (from previous relationship) speaking disparaging of myself and other family members during Skype sessions. I also have the above evidence of hand overs where ex, and other family members are rude and sometimes abusive towards me. If needed can I use these recordings as evidence in court?

This is just my opinion - but if you weren't actually involved in the Skype conversations I would suspect you would be on shaky ground as you're recording a private conversation between two third parties. It also has no actual impact on child welfare, assuming again no one else was involved in the conversations.

Recording these conversations might reveal more about you than it does about him. Others might disagree, however - disclaimer, I am a man!

Thanks for your reply xzcvbnm.
DS is only just three so needs help with Skype sessions. Initially I didn't record but when things mentioned above started happening, my solicitor advised me to.
All this negativity is affecting DS. I never wanted to return to court, but have been left with no choice.