Apologies if this question has already been asked. My ex wife and I went to court 10 years ago and we received a childs arrangement order, 50/50 namely 3 days with me and 4 days with her. My son is now 11, at secondary school and insists he does not want to live with his mother anymore, for a variety of reasons, e.g. she does nothing with me (no clubs, no learning), she is on her third partner who he does not like.
Has anyone been through this and what would you recommend? Could I take this back to court and have my son voice his concerns. What would be the chance of success. I want him to have a relationship with her but he doesnt want to anymore.
Thank you in advance.
You could take it to Court, but I would advise against it, the Court's will only consider a child's opinion after the age of 12, and even then they tend to ignore them. I would suggest that you speak to his school, if they have a counsellor, and see if you can arrange a meeting between yourself, his mother and your son. The Counsellor should speak to him before without either present so they get a better understanding from him before the parents are there, children tend to say what they think they are supposed to say when Mum and Dad are about so it can be difficult. Your son needs to feel safe, that he is in a safe place and there will be no repercussions from what he says, however, I would also suggest a compromise within that discussion, that he spends Monday-Friday with you and the weekends with Mum for a trial period, that way he is not being shut out of Mum's life and you all get to see an alternative way to manage the arrangements. That may calm things down, but it may also lead to a better relationship for all parties.
hey
assuming your in the uk, i thought around his age kids could make the choice of where they want to live?
maybe court in turn would direct caffcass to investigate/report & make recommendations??
or social services??
good luck