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My ex has had a solicitor send me a letter stating that she does not want me to have unsupervised access to our 18 month son. She has suggested a contact centre.
I usually pick him up every second weekend and we stay at my parents so that they and my two sisters have a chance to spend time with him.
This has come like a bolt out of the blue, she has told lies and I don't know what to do. This coming weekend is our weekend to have my son.
My question is, do I take the solicitors letter as a legally binding document? I thought that only a court could deny access like this. I am lost and bewildered over this I certainly did not see this coming. My son is loved and cared for by all of us, this has just started up as I went into another relationship, I always knew she was bitter, but is this really all in her control?
I have not employed a solicitor yet as I only got the letter today, any help out there please????
Hi there
Unfortunately some mothers do exactly this when there's a new partner on the scene.
The solicitors letter is not a legal document as such, it's just a more formal way of informing you of her intentions.
Unfortunately, if you don't have a contact order from the court in place, she can do whatever she likes in this regard. She isn't stopping contact outright as she is offering contact centre contact.
The first step is to take this to mediation, this is now compulsory before an application to court can be made. Here a link to the mediation service
www.nfm.org.uk
I would attempt this first but if it is unsuccessful then the mediator will sign the application forms for you to submit to court. There are many here that choose to represent themselves and we have plenty of info in the stickys at the top of the legal eagle section about this.
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