Hi all.
I need some advice about an ongoing situation. I am legally aided and have a Solicitor who has commented on possible scenarios but I just wanted some further advice from any of the legal professionals who sometimes comment on this forum or anyone who has indeed been through a similar situation.
Background is, domestic abuse, daughter and mother fled with SS and Police involvement 4 years ago now. Since December 2020 father has only had supervised contact in a contact centre which is still ongoing at present. Both parents share the cost.
CAFCASS did a Section 7 which directed a psychological report and an our child to be made party to proceedings and a guardian appointed, there was no recommendation for contact to change or increase.
Psychological report has come back to say mother has significant PTSD and the father is a risk to both child and mother and that contact should either move to indirect or should be once a month supervised as opposed to fortnightly.
We are about to have a directions hearing which will set the timetable for the remainder of proceedings and presumably we will have a final hearing at some point,
I just don't know what will happen.
The Guardian seems very wishy washy and treats me like I was also a perpetrator, although she does pinpoint my ex was violent, I am somewhat culpable in her and the courts eyes also for some of it.
However, the one piece of evidence that has been submitted is footage of him abusing our daughter physically, this was recorded via camera's in the house at the time.
As a result of this, no professional during the case has directed for contact to change despite how I have been depicted.
I just don't know how likely the Guardian is to agree with the psychological report? is it a given because it was directed by her as a recommendation to the Court?
She has made some suggestions about contact remaining as supervised but then when I speak to her she makes excuses for my ex and believes he's very sorry. I get that she has to remain impartial but I really can't read her.
She has taken our childs wishes and feelings, I took her to a session at a CAFCASS building and the walls were very thin, all I could hear was my daughter talking about her friends and nursery and mummy,
Supervised contact has been going well mostly, however there is an on going issue regarding him directly disregarding any instructions or information I give (think dosage of medicine or food intake etc)
I have commented to the psychologist and guardian that is also very tiring for our child to go to contact in a contact centre that is almost a 120 mile trip for us every other week. Our child is about to start primary education and I feel this will somewhat restrict her.
My position will be that I believe contact should just remain as supervised indefinitely but drop to once a month for 3 hours as opposed to the fortnightly contact. I don't think reverting to indirect contact will be best because it will be very hard to explain this to our child after they have had direct contact for nearly 4 years.
I also don't ever see a way out of the contact centre that will be safe.
There is no mutually trusted 3rd party as a go between and I have also been explicitly clear I will never see or speak to him again. I am currently undergoing therapy because of him and the abuse.
I know that nobody could comment on what the possible outcome will be as every case is different, but if anyone has been through similar I would be really interested to hear.
Just as an aside I have changed some details so that this isn't too outing.
Thanks