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A bit of background info first;
I have a son who is 9, I am not with the mother. I have parental rights, pay maintenance every month and have access to him whenever I am not working, which is usually Friday after school through until Sunday evening. I have an amicable relationship with is Mum.
My issue;
His mother told me yesterday that see would be moving away with my son, she never consulted me, she told me. This creates many problems for my boy. I will only get to see him once or twice a month so the positive influence I’m hoping to have over him and his future will become almost none existent. He will be changing schools (and homes for the fourth time in four years) which in my opinion is not a good thing. There is a reasonable chance the relationship she is currently in and the key reason she is moving in my opinion won’t last, (I’m basing this on her track record) in effect, she will either move back to my home town or find herself stuck in this other place until the council can relocate her. Neither her or her partner work so I am worried my boy will be brought up in an environment that isn’t conducive to his future prospects. I believe this is a completely selfish move from her despite what she tells me.
The only two outcomes that I believe would be helpful to my son would either be her not moving or my boy moving in with me. From previous experience, I believe that neither of these ideas will appeal to her.
If anyone could offer me any advice on what the best course of action would be I would really appreciate it.
Adam.
Hi Adam and welcome.
Sorry to hear this, must be a very worrying time for you.
You can apply to the court using a C100 for a Prohibited Steps Order & Child Arrangements Order and it costs 215.00, although the first step is mediation, this is mandatory before making an application. You might find that mediation would work in this instance.
Unfortunately nobody can predict whether a court would decide to prevent your ex moving away but other than mediation, an application to court is your only other choice.
You can try phoning solicitors, many offer free 30 minute consultations, the CAB, Coram Childrens Legal Centre have an excellent free helpline & Families Need Fathers have a helpline as well as branch meetings where you could get advice and meet other parents having difficulties.
If you end up having to make an application to court, I would think the fact that she has shown herself to be unstable, the move is not for employment or family reasons & the decrease in contact your son would have with you could be good points to include in your case.
http://www.fnf.org.uk/help-and-support-2/local-branch-meetings
Feel free to ask any questions on here, we're all very friendly 🙂 Good luck
Thank you so much for the advise, this is all really helpful.
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