Help with regaining Contact with my daughter

[BarberD22]

I've recently been in jail 6 and half years every week I saw my daughter then it progressed to fortnightly eventually her mother met someone new the contact went to monthly then stopped, she promised never to take that away however 7 week now after my release I haven't seen my little girl for 4 years I went to family court in jail and got granted what i requested however i didnt want to go down that road.. now im out of prison how do i go about seeing my daughter for years i sent cards presents and the mother moved away said she doesn't need me or my parents my daughter's grandparents no more she has everything she needs this is wrong and I feel trapped I only want to build a bond again with my daughter who can help?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Barber D22,

Thank you for your enquiry and welcome to the Parents’ Board.
My name is Suzie and I will be replying to your post today.

I am sorry to hear about the difficulties you are having in seeing your daughter.

Family Rights Group give general advice when there is Children’s Services involvement with the family and I see that this is not your situation.

However, I can signpost you to how to information on private family law which may be helpful as you consider your next steps.

You mention that you went to family court in the past, but that then decided that you ‘did not want to go down that road’. It may be that you took this decision as your daughter’s mother was willing to make contact arrangements informally at that stage.
Now that your daughter’s mother appears to have changed her view you may need to consider your legal options again.

Family Court expect parents to attempt mediation before bringing the matter before a judge. If family members want to go to court to seek, for example a child arrangements order, in most cases they must attend a Mediation, Information and Assessment meeting first. This is to see if the case can be resolved through mediation before they start court proceedings.
Further information about Mediation, Information and Assessment meetings is here.

There is detailed information on mediation and how to apply to court for a Child Arrangements Order here .
This page also includes information on which forms to use and how to apply for help with the cost of court fees.
Support through Court help people who do not have access to legal aid and/or a solicitor to represent them. Their contact details arehere.

You can read general information about Child Arrangements Orders from the Child Law Advice website here
here.

You can find out about the different ways to seek advice from Family Rights Group by following this linkFurther ways to seek advice from Family Rights Group

Best wishes,

Suzie