National Legal Service helped Tania* to secure the protection she and her children needed following the breakdown of her relationship with an abusive partner.
Tania’s five-year relationship with her ex-partner was marked by many instances of mental abuse and harassment, including coercive and controlling behaviour. Tania felt that she was at risk of further harm, which negatively impacted on her life and her mental wellbeing. Tania was also concerned about the wellbeing of her children, along with her former partner’s nature of contact with the children which he further used in order to try and exert control or coerce Tania.
The father had additionally threatened to take the child, which was causing Tania additional worry alongside her concerns that the relationship may once again become abusive when the two were dealing with issues relating to the children.
Tania did not want to prevent her children from having a relationship with their father and did not wish for visitation to stop. She asked National Legal Service to help her get protection in place to ensure that further abuse could not take place, along with ensuring that the children would continue to remain in her home and formalising child arrangements.
We helped Tania to secure public funding to finance her case, ensuring that she and her young family did not experience financial hardship. Our family solicitors prepared a statement and made an application for the ex-parte hearing and a non-molestation order. We then worked with Tania to prepare an application for a Child Arrangement Order. This was made to the courts so that the Children and Family Court Advisory (Cafcass) could carry out safeguarding checks on the children before the Order was made.
The Child Arrangement Order has given Tania peace of mind that her former partner is clear on the future arrangements regarding the children and each parent’s rights including where the children will live and how much time each parent has with them. Tania is happy the order was made, and says that as a result of the order being accompanied by the power of arrest should it be breached, her former partner’s behaviour towards her has now calmed down.
*Not real name.
