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As im now understanding that fathers rights are none existent in this country no matter what you do you are financially crimpled to pay for ex holiday and i have i no leg to stand on im homeless the council wont help because i havent been living in the area for more than 2 years. And now my ex wants to baptise my son in the church we got married also than all godparents have been selected which are all her friends i want to stop it but i cant but i know she is using this as an exercise for a party and the to get a financial gain aswell.
where does the fathers voice count here i cant see anything that i can do is there anything i can please help as i get more response from this forum than i do with citizens advice and the local council.
I think for something so significant you'd need to get some proper legal advice....may be worth trying for a free meeting with a solicitor to point you in the right direction....most (not all) offer a walk in evening on a first come first served basis.
however my guess would be applying to court for a Prohibitive Steps Order"
Do you have any Contact orders / residence orders in place?
regarding what you'd have to pay out i've no idea...i'm not in the same boat as you and have to pay for everything.
Oooh... new one for me Andy.
Dad-I-D is right, I think you should see if you can get a free half hour with a solicitor, many of them are doing it. A Prohibited STeps Order would probably cover it.
Have you asked her if friends/family of yours to be godparents?
I didn't understand what you meant by a financial gain? Or do you mean she will apply to CSA? Why are you paying for ex holiday?
Dear Andy 2110
Thank you for your post.
From the information you have provided, as you were married to the mother you have Parental Responsibility for your child.
Parental Responsibility is defined in s.3(1) Children Act 1989 as being: "all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property".
Practically Parental Responsibility means that both parties should consult and consent on issues such as schooling, medical issues, change of name, removal from the jurisdiction and other major issues concerning the child. Depending on when the baptism is due to take place you may wish to attempt mediation with your ex partner or try to communicate with her in a recordable manner (e-mail/letter) to outline your views/concerns. If this fails or you are unable to reach an agreement you do have the option to make a Court application.
In terms of trying to prevent your son being baptised we would advise that you apply to the Courts for a Specific Issue Order to request that the Court make a decision on this aspect of your son's life based on information you and the mother put forward to the Court. To apply for this application you would need to complete a form entitled C100 which can be obtained from www.justice.gov.uk and has a fee of £200. If you are eligible for a fee exemption you can complete a fee exemption form entitled EX160a.
Once you have completed the forms you would need to hand the forms in to your local Family Proceedings Court and await a hearing date. We would advise stating to the Court when the baptism is and if it needs to be heard on an emergency basis.
In terms of your housing situation we would strongly advise contacting SHELTER for assistance.
If we can be of further assistance please do contact us on our freephone advice line 0808 8020 008 which is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm.
Yours sincerely
CORAM CHILDREN'S LEGAL CENTRE
- Samaritans – call 116 123
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