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I was hoping I could get a bit of help please. I am new here. Split up with partner 6 months ago. Have a daughter who turned 7 4 months ago. Me and the ex partner do not have a court order, I see daughter half of the time and there has never been any problem with this.
The only issue is that the ex allows our daughter out to the shops, to the park, to friends and to family homes alone. The park for example is 4 miles from her house, my daughter is allowed to go down there alone and return home a few hours later. The only stipulation is she has to be home by 8pm. I find this unsafe, she has to cross 2 busy roads, she could go missing, she could get lost, the list is endless. I have spoken to the ex about this and she says that she will parent her when she is at her house how she wishes, she will not wrap her up in cotton wool and there is no rules to when children can go out alone, the courts will do nothing about it and she will continue to allow her out.
Can anyone give me any guidance on what to do next? I have googled it and as far as I can see she is right, there is no law as to when children are allowed out without an adult but this is totally unsafe.
Thanks in advance.
Unfortunately there isnt much you can do about it. If you create problems your ex could suddenly stop all your contact. I would add i certainly wouldnt allow a 7 year old to go to a park or even cross a road without me being present. I dont even allow my 9 year old out on his own although there is no right age set in stone when a 9 year old can or cant go park on own.
Arent you able to speak to ex and explain you arent been awkward you are seriously concerned about her safety and shes not old enough to be doing the things she is doing just yet.
If you dont get anywhere you could maybe speak to school where she goes about it highlighting your concerns and what they think about it without necessarily running down ex. It would be much better all round if school got concerned and took action
Thank you for coming back to me. I have spoken to the mother on a few occasions face to face, via texts and on the phone, always nicely and never running her down but just saying it isnt right that a 7 year old is roaming the streets. She just tells me she wont wrap her up in cotton wool, she needs to be independent and she also needs to spend time with her new partner without kids around. I just wanted confirmation that I couldnt do anything legally about it.
I shall speak to the school, thanks again
I would say speaking to school would be the best way as they may be able to help in some way. Now if a dad was doing the things mum was doing things would be a lot different. You would be without contact and in a whole load of bother. It maybe school may ring childrens services although every school is different.
On the basis that there isn't a great deal you can do legally, does she have a mobile phone so she can be contacted when she's out? If so, perhaps you could suggest that your ex and your daughter use google maps and share their location - this means that your ex is able to see where your daughter is at any time, so there is some added safety measure there.
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