I am asking on behalf of my friend.
Background situation : she has four DC's. Her first two have different fathers to her second two. She split up with the father of the youngest two about 3 months ago.
At the first court hearing, an occupation order was made for her abusive ex to move back into the house. With much help from me, she managed to go back to court, higher court rather than local (different judge, local one well known for being very misogynistic). Got occupation order lifted, but had to let him into the house from 8.45-3.45 every week day, and all weekend every other weekend.
Her oldest two DC's refused to share the house with him from the moment the occupation order was made, and stayed with my friend's mum.
He is making all sorts of spurious allegations about my friend, all untrue.
For the holidays, the order stated he was allowed in the house from 8.45 Monday till 3.45 Thursday. The older girls moved back in as they missed their mum and their younger siblings. The ex moved in with the next door neighbour.
We got Women's Aid involved, who were
horrified. They got an earlier court date, today, and CAFCASS were meant to prepare a report on the effect this was having on the older two DC's having someone who has been abusive to them and very verbally aggressive towards them, in their home. It wasn't complete in time.
My friend has been told in court today that she HAS to leave the house from Monday through till Thursday. Her older DC's (15 and 10yo) can stay though. But they don't WANT to if he is there and their mum isn't there to protect them and stand up for them. She was also told that given his (UNTRUE) allegations against her, the court could seek a Section 37 and get ALL FOUR of her kids put in Foster Care.
My friend is in bits, her ex repeatedly tells her that he is going to destroy her, he will take all FOUR DC's away from her (even the two that aren't his and hate him and don 't even want to be in the house when he is there), and he will take the house away, and he won't stop until she is in the gutter.
Can the courts REALLY do this? It seems to me like they are complicit in his abuse of her!
And she has just texted me to say that her 4-weekly child benefit hasn't been paid today, and she has JUST opened a letter saying that he is trying to get her child benefit.
Please, tell me what I can do to help her, the courts are helping her ex to continue to abuse her she is in bits.
The courts are leaving her homeless for 3.5/4 days out of the week, when it is HER housing association house, HER tenancy, he wasn't even a joint tenant FFS!!