IN THE FAMILY COURT AT *****************CASE NUMBER******
BETWEEN:-
FULL NAME
Applicant
AND
FULL NAME
Respondent
1st Statement of the Father/ Mother FULL NAME
Hints:
- the statement needs to as child focussed as possible. The test for the judge is the welfare of the child, not YOUR welfare!
- Try not to treat your children as a job lot. Individualising them is a good idea where appropriate. for example, what is appropriate for your 4 year old is ridiculous for your 12 year old.
- Try and be clear, one thought, one sentence
- Run the draft in front of a sensible friend. Do they understand what you are trying to say.
- Put everything in, your lawyer will l take it out if it is OTT
- Using exhibits to “show and tell” :If you want to demonstrate something by using an exhibit then this is how you do it: print the Exhibit Sheet out ( at the end of the template statement), and in your statement below you say for example “ my ex bad mouths me in front of the kids. I know this because she posts rude things about me on Facebook and copies in my eldest child ( see Exhibit YOUR INITIAL 1)”
I, FULL NAME, OF Address, WILL SAY AS FOLLOWS:-
Basic details
I and the mother/ father of ************** (d.o.b.) and ******** ( d.o.b). they live with********
My job
My age
Whether I am the primary carer.
My relationship with my children before the breakdown, including what the contact arrangements before proceedings were issued. If there were a lot of changes, they go here.
Why I think the relationship is not working betweenthe children and the other parent
What the other parent and I do well
Risks I am concerned about ( eg drink, drugs, emotional abuse, physical abuse, FGM, abduction, alienation etc)
What could the other parent do to improve things?
What steps can I do to improve things
What am I already doing ( SPIP, perpetrators course, Freedom Programme etc)
How the work I have done on myself has helped to shift my thinking / change what I do
What my child and I do now together ( and how it seems to make them feel)
Where I live and what my house is like.
Who I live with if appropriate.
How does childcare fit in with work?
Where is the school, other activities the child does
Can any/ does any other relative get involved in the arrangements currently? Is there anybody else significant involved in the child’s life?
What is your child like? Do they have any special needs, likes, hobbies, interests? What kind of personality do they have?
How is school going? Is school an issue?
What I would like the arrangements to be ( to include everything like who the child lives with, how often they see me, any thing I want to stop the other parent doing ( going to the Gambia), anything I want to be allowed to do ( move schools). Do not forget to factor in any distances and times it takes to get to the other parent.
What has stopped an agreement being reached ( you cannot outline the contents of any mediation sessions as this is “privileged” which means, what’s said in mediation, stays in mediation)
Anything else relevant?
Why I think what I want would be in the child’s interests.
I make this statement believing it to be true
Signed:…………………………
Dated:…………………………..
IN THE FAMILY COURT AT *****************CASE NUMBER******
BETWEEN:-
FULL NAME
Applicant
AND
FULL NAME
Respondent
Exhibit YOUR INITIALS 1 ( or 2 or 3…etc) to the 1st statement of FULL NAME
Exhibit Sheet: This sheet goes in front of every different thing you want to use as a “show and tell” to the judge.