I am worried about my ex-partner spending time alone with our children. What can I do?

If you have already tried talking to your ex-partner about your concerns, or feel too scared to talk to your ex-partner, then it may be that you need to go to court.

A court can order that all contact between your ex-partner and your children must be supervised, maybe by a relative or friend. It can also order that contact should be supervised by someone who works at a contact centre. A court will only stop contact altogether in very limited circumstances.

If your partner has previously abused you or your children, or you suspect him of abusing them, you must make both the court and the police aware of the matter immediately.

You should make sure that you fully explain the situation to your solicitor in order for them to start the necessary legal proceedings so that contact can potentially be supervised between your ex-partner and your children. This will involve fact finding to decide whether the abuse allegations can be proved. If they can be, this should be taken into account.

Child contact orders that have already been given by the court can be varied at any time. You should speak to a solicitor to get legal advice if you would like to do this.

Of course, the child’s welfare is paramount to the court in any child contact proceedings and their views will usually be taken into consideration. CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) will usually represent children in court proceedings.