Hi lovely lot. I'm sure we'll all have a lot of opinions about this, but I'd really appreciate hearing from those with specific knowledge/experiences on the subject.
DP has two boys aged 13 and 11 and is a solid, reliable, responsible, gentle dad. He and coparent were separated for 3 years before we met. We've been together for 2.5 years now and are expecting a baby. I have three children aged 10, 8 and 6.
DP's CAO does not say "lives with" in relation to either parent, so permission must be sought to go abroad. Coparent has agreed with our current travel plans "in principle", but says her providing a letter (and presumably the boys' passports) depends on "how things go with the arrival of the new baby", and an ongoing odd situation where she says that 11 yo doesn't like coming here, while he's asking his dad if he can spend more time here.
To us, this feels a) impractical when booking and making plans and b) not in the spirit of the law, which is presumably about safeguarding. In essence, the delay of a decision does not feel reasonable in terms of the children's welfare.
Has anyone had experience of last minute refusal to hand over a passport or give permission? Are courts able, or even inclined (because obviously first world problems) to move quickly in these scenarios, or should he pre-emptively apply for a SIO to ensure that something is in place ASAP?