Will the police protect my child?

[MadameDeLaRue]

(I have a separate thread on a related issue, but I want to focus on this specific topic)

My 7 year old has told me that her father has been strangling her often, for short periods, when angry. There is a history of coercive control against me.

Police are coming later to discuss.

Are they likely to do anything to protect my child? What can I expect in this meeting?

@MessyNeate thank you. These kinds of stories give me hope. If my child were happy seeing her father, things would be different. But like your friend, I am very concerned because of how much my child dislikes her father. It isn't normal and has to be happening for a reason.

By way of update, the police almost definitely are just going to go with what SS said. SS are recommending that we all have parenting classes and that we make arrangements so that my daughter spends time with both parents.

The father is aggressively claiming parental alienation by me.

This whole thing is such a nightmare.

I’m so sorry. Poor you and your poor daughter.

Matters have progressed. The situation now is that I need to facilitate contact and encourage my daughter to spend time with her abuser. (This is not how I frame it to her of course - she's under the impression that I am happy for her to spend time with her dad and she's annoyed with me about this).

My ex and his wife make the contact very difficult. Recently the wife tried to get my daughter to say bad things about me (in my presence). She kept us from leaving the contact by putting her children into my car. They both stood there berating me.

What can I do? I can't go on like this.

Who says you have to facilitate contact ?

@TickingKey46 Social Services specifically said that I have to do this. My fancy solicitors are clear that I am vulnerable to claims of parental alienation if I don't do everything possible to encourage their relationship