In a recent English court case, a mother who repeatedly resisted a contact order has been threatened with reversal of residence.
The father’s contact with the two sons (10 and 8) had ceased in August 2010. Although some successful court-ordered contact was observed in 2011, the mother disengaged with the court.
The Judge found that the mother did not believe that the children needed a relationship with their father or the wider family and was not supporting contact. Furthermore, he was “convinced” that the children loved their father and wanted to be able to see him, but were being prevented from showing their feelings or acting on them.
On balance it was concluded that the children’s welfare would be better served by living with the father, unless contact could take place successfully. The Judge took into account that it would be contrary to the children’s interests to learn that the sort of manipulation they had been caught up in might succeed.
The mother will be given one more opportunity to facilitate contact. An order for two periods of residential contact has been made, but if this contact does not take place the children will live with the father.
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