Court proceedings

[UnderPressure23]

Not quite sure where to start! I have three children, aged 10-15. Divorced for 7 years, and since then they have mostly seen their dad regularly. They have struggled for a long time with it and recently we massively reduced contact.

understandably he isn’t happy about it, and is now threatening court action, unless I meet his demands. To be clear, I’m only going with what the kids want - I would quite like them to go because it’s pretty full on for me.

my question is what people’s experience is. I have a solicitor, so don’t need legal advice.

currently kids have agreed that they will see him for a few hours together once a month. They don’t want to see him 121, and don’t want any overnights. He is filing for a specific issue order to take them away - would a court be likely to force children to go away with him??

and what is the general experience of the sorts of arrangements courts would suggest being reasonable?

they have good reasons for not wanting to see him, and this isn’t just a new thing. I’ve been putting crying children in the car for a long time, but have just got to a point where I don’t think it’s good for them!

rambling a bit! Thanks for any advice/experiences x

I would always speak to the teacher and head teacher at their schools. Ask for counselling and/ or support for their fear and anxiety about being forced to see their father.
Getting an outside professional they can talk to can be a very good strategy to ensure their wishes are heard.

Thank you…. They are all under camhs and school are well aware of the issues. I suppose I’m trying to understand what I can expect as a judgment in order to mentally prepare the children - I’m assuming they won’t just say no contact is ok. The holiday is a particular concern 😩

Ask to speak to the school safeguarding lead, if you haven't already. They will be experienced in all of this. I am pretty sure by 10, the child's wishes are taken into account.
You need written reports from all the professionals.