Ex refusing contact with child - partner in the forces.

[HeyMacWey]

Dh is in the forces and currently away on a posting.
He has a child from a previous relationship.
Before he was posted abroad care was 50/50 and for several months at a time, he had 100% care when social services were involved due to concerns about parenting as a result of his ex's mental health. Social services haven't been involved for about a year now.

Whilst he is away, the child is cared for by their mother. The mother is not allowing dh phone contact with the child whilst he is away. She uses the child as a weapon and emotional blackmail and is threatening to move and not allow the child to see any of their wider family whilst he is away. Q

Is there anything he (or I) can do to help deal with this till he returns to the UK and gets a chance to go to court?

Previous arrangements have always been informally agreed hence no contact order in place.

Talk to his welfare officer. They see this all the time and are brilliant.

Thank you - will they practically be able to do anything atm?
Or will it be a case of waiting till he's back in the UK to get agreements in place?

Depending on where he is and what he's doing they should be able to help him start now.
They really don't want anyone leaving because they'll lose their kids.

And I'm sorry this is happening to you two before Christmas, it sounds awful!

Thanks for your insight. I anticipated this happening so unfortunately no great surprise and had prepared dh for the possibility that he may not have contact with his child. We all hoped it might be different.

I would try and get a contact order. He should speak to his welfare officer and discuss how to get started. Informal is no longer working so the arrangements need formal agreement and the views of his child should be taken into account which often informal arrangements fail to do.