HI looking for advice please
I'm in the middle of a divorce where it seems im going to come out with just about nothing, the most up setting part is access to my beautiful son who's 5, I get to see him one Saturday every two weeks and for 2-3 hours after school once a week
due to financial problems I cannot afford to go to court but not allegeable for legal aid, does anybody know of any other option
my wife will not go to mediation
mark
HimMark
I've just posted a link on your other post to Families Need Fathers...you should get some advice and support there. In the meantime have a look at the stickys at the top of the legal eagle section, you will find info on the court process, how to represent yourself and how to fill out the C100 form to apply to the court for contact.
I'm not very knowledgable about divorce proceedings but I believe that contact can be part of the agreement? Perhaps you can push for a full weekend from Friday after school until Sunday tea time, that would double the access you have at the moment.
As far as mediation is concerned, the court like to see that this has been attempted first. Legal aid is still available for mediation. She may have found it easy to refuse you, but if she received a letter from the mediator asking her to attend then she may take it more seriously. If after you have initiated mediation by attending for an appointment and discussing the issues with the mediator, if after she is asked she refuses to attend, then the mediator will issue you with a form FM1 which you will need to submit to the court when you apply for a contact order, it shows you have tried to resolve it outside of court.heres a couple of links, the first is to help you find a mediator in your area, the the second is to check if you are eligible for legal aid.
www.nfm.org.uk
www.gov.uk/check-legal-aid