Children question:
during an 8 month separation from my wife, i had a short relationship - she has now had a child which has been proved to be mine via official CSA paternity test. My child is now over 4 months old and have been seeking contact, but she is refusing to communicate with me at all. Have attempted phoning (she puts down the phone) and have sent several letters. Have made suggestion that supervised contact could be best to start with as he is so young - still no reply. what are my options?
Responses:
Simon Lim's response
I am very sorry to hear about your situation. In circumstances where a mother simply refuses to let a biological father see their child, it is often appropriate to apply to the Court for something called a ‘Contact Order’.
A Contact Order may be specific in terms of when and for how long you are allowed contact with your child or it may be more general and give reasonable contact which is to be worked out privately between the parents. If there are allegations of abuse or violence the Court will have to decide whether contact will be allowed or if supervised contact is more appropriate. If you are determined on playing a more active role in the child’s life maybe you could also consider applying for parental responsibility.
In all circumstances the Court’s decision will be based primarily on what is in the best interests of the child.
However, your first step should be to instruct a solicitor who specialises in private children matters and is a member of Resolution, a national organisation of family lawyers dedicated to non-confrontational and constructive resolution of family disputes. Your solicitor could write to the child’s mother first and propose a contact arrangement failing which, a court application could be made. You can find solicitors in your local area on the Resolution website - www.resolution.org.uk/
Do you have a response to add to this question? Login to post a response.
