Last year my partner and I split up. He had developed a substance misuse issue and despite all our efforts, he couldn't be helped.
When our relationship ended he became threatening and abusive, threatened to kidnap our daughter and hurt anyone who tried to help us.
I went to court and had a Non-Molestation Order put in place and the court also granted an 18 month prohibited steps order.
It has been 1 year since he had any contact with our daughter and even before that the contact was limited and what little there was, was very negative.
Since the orders have been in place he has not directly contacted us. This is probably due to us changing phone number, moving house, changing car and not visiting the areas we know him and his friends frequent. We have also cut contact with nearly everyone in our lives to reduce the risk of being found.
He is not the only person we are hiding from, it is also his family members still trying to track us down and other individuals who he has become involved in through drugs and crime (people he owes money to who want to try and threaten for the money or to get to him).
Obviously, this has impacted hugely on my daughter who was 7. I have paid for her to have counselling privately as the NHS didn't have a lot to offer for her age. She has changed schools and finally seems to be settled after one year. She asked me when she started the new school whether she could have my surname as she has no connection with her dad or his family any longer, so I agreed and spoke to the school to stated they would use my surname for the day to day things but legally her surname wouldn't change on official school documents.
I have been trying to research and have read conflicting things regard surname change.
I wondered if anyone here would know what the process is for change her surname legally? Her father (absent and disinterested as he is) would never agree to the surname change as he would see it as his last bit of control being removed.
Due to the Prohibited Steps Order, does he still hold parental responsibility? If so, what are the chances a court would agree to a surname change without his permission?
Thanks for reading.