Currently going through the family courts for the last 18 months.
Order is for indirect contact (fortnightly letters which have never been received and weekly phone calls which are hit and miss)
History of emotional, psychological and physical abuse all proven at a fact find hearing
However, judge decided that exh acted out of “love” and granted a set of 3 supervised 2 hour contact sessions with the DC
Moving forward I accept that he is going to be granted unsupervised contact despite eldest DS saying he doesn’t want that (he’s 11 and no matter how many times he tells all these professionals how scared of his dad he is they keep telling him to give it a go and then I have to pick up the pieces afterwards, he’s had extensive counselling but all the good progress he’s made gets undone by seeing his dad)
Exh living arrangements are such that he can’t have the DC overnight- shares a house with others, no bedroom for the DC who are a boy and a girl and we’ve been told they wouldn’t be allowed to share his bedroom and he sleep on the sofa for example
So what would people expect would be reasonable in these circumstances?
My gut is saying no contact, he’s not a stable person and hasn’t partaken in any of the courses or counselling CAFCASS have told him to but the judge seems to be leaning in his favour. I am also biased because of everything he did to me that the children witnessed and my instincts are to shield them from any further potential damage but it’s not up to me, it’s up to the judge
So, given he can’t have them overnight, what should I be expecting?