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We married in May 2014 in London where we lived at that time. In November 2014 our son was born there. 18 months later (in April 2016) we split.
My ex moved out within London initially. Then in June 2016 she left the country with my son. She used a written permission I gave her before we split. Originally she continued to work from abroad (EU) commuting each month to London. During this time my son stayed abroad. She explained that this arrangement makes it easier for her to take care of our son due to the presence of her extended family. She also wanted to stay close to her mum as she has been battling cancer. Originally I had sympathy and understanding for this arrangement and did not object to it even though the written permission I gave her expired in October 2016.
However, it became increasingly difficult to have a contact with my son. My ex would cancel arrangements on a short notice. She would also make it difficult for my son to visit my family. It went like this for more than a year. What can I do in this case? I have, basically, no idea as I wasn't expecting that it will come to this. I just googled a bit and it seems there is thing called CAFCASS. Is this the route to go? What would be your advice?
I basically would like to be able to see my son for at least a few days every 3 months. I also would like to alternate the holidays (Christmas, Easter, New Year Eve, his Birthday) between me and my ex (e.g. one year my son spends Christmas with her family, one with mine). My ex says that she may agree to the visits every 3 months (although so far she often changed her mind on a short notice so I can't trust her word on this) but she would not agree to alternate the holidays. Can I do something about it? By the way, my ex has British and other EU nationality - same like my son.
Hi there
Because your ex and son have moved out of the country and you gave your permission for that, I'm not sure that you would be able to make an application to court. I would advise that you contact Reunite, they are experienced in giving advice when there is a cross borders situation. Here's a link to their website.
www.reunite.org
They have a helpline, so you'll be able to call and speak to someone about your situation. Although they deal with child abduction, they will help with other situations, where there's an international element.
Best of luck
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