Hi, can anyone offer me any advice please? I have a 7 yr old & her father hasn't paid any maintenance for over a year since he moved back to Rome, Italy.At first I was OK with this as he used the money as a blackmail device, so I was pleased to be independant & just made do. My partner of four years & I are expecting a baby in July. We are in court with my daughter's father in the hope of moving to my partner's home in NZ. We recently moved house but my daughter's father is insisting she remains at her previous school, although she had a place at a local school. I now have to take two buses then walk about a mile to and from then back to my daughter's previous school everyday. At 7 months pregnant this is quite stressful not to mention the extra cost. The court tell me my daughters father's failure to support her financially is irrelevant to our case and they won't take it into consideration! My lawyer has told me to 'walk the line' & hopefully we'll be in NZ soon, but I really don't know how much longer I can take of this.
I am working part time now and don't qualify for benefits as my partner is earning but really I feel that my daughter's father should be responsible to support her, after all if he has the power to make such decisions as what school she goes to surely he should be contributing?
I have phoned child maintenance and REMO but they have just passed me on to each other now they are telling me to contact family courts. I know this will be an extra cost that I don't have-I'm already paying family court for the immigration issue & have paid out considerably.
My daughter's father is working full time but self employed. He refuses to agree on an arrangement.
Can anyone offer any advice please?