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Hello All,
My 13.5 YO boy who has lived with his mother for last two years is coming straight to my place from my school to live with me. He has been saying this to his mother, but she doesn't want him to leave for obvious reasons.
There is no court order in place, so my understanding is that this should be fine at his age now. However, which government bodies, agencies, etc. do I need to inform? A few which I could think about on my list are
- School
- Doctor
- Dentists
- CMS
Any other I need to add on this list? Any templates of letters etc. will also be appreciated!
Many thanks
TS
I think you have covered the main things at the moment - it depends on what the mother intends to do. Certainly if she applies for a child arrangement order, then you'd have to respond to this, but at the age your son is, a court would place quite a bit of weight on his wishes. You could apply for a child arrangement order if you wanted to pre-empt, but you could just see what happens. Your ex may get nasty once she realises she'll lose child benefit and maintenance (and, in fact, have to start paying you maintenance). It's worth trying to sort out a contact arrangement also, so it may be worth looking at mediation to see if you can sort the whole situation.
You should also contact the Child Benefit office and you may also be entitled to working family tax credits and help with rent if applicable, also it's worth checking with your local council regarding council tax rebate.
If the mother works you can also make a claim for child maintenance from her, as well as having the amount you pay her reduced if there are other children, or stopped if there is just the one child.
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