Caroline Lonsdale tackles the thorny issue of contact & the difficult parent
It is a general principle of family law in this jurisdiction that a child will benefit from contact with both parents. Where a child is living with one parent, it is extremely unusual for a judge to make an order that that child should have no contact with the other parent. However, on 7 October 2010, Her Honour Judge Marshall made an order for no contact between a father and his five-year-old daughter.
The effect of the order was that the mother did not have to allow the child to visit, stay, or have contact with the father. Four further orders were made that day regarding the father’s communications with the mother:
- The father was prohibited from contacting the mother about their daughter unless the mother instigated the exchange between them.
- The mother should keep the father informed about their daughter’s upbringing.
- The father should not contact the child’s child-minder.
- The father should not be allowed to make any further applications under the Children Act 1989 without leave of the
