Booklet to help in family courts

A CHARITY has published a guide for women who are sharing custody of their children with abusive ex-partners.

Glasgow Women’s Aid has released the guide to court-ordered Child Contact in Scotland to help survivors of domestic violence navigate the process along with family courts in Scotland.

The organisation, which assists women fleeing abusive relationships, were asked to create the guide after some were overwhelmed with complex legal jargon and the experience of attending court.

The process of going through family courts can be “terrifying, complex and lengthy” according to Women’s Aid and often puts them back in a room with their abusers.

On top of that, mothers also worry about perpetrators having access to children as they could potentially use this as a way to monitor their behaviour. There are also concerns that perpetrators could be abusive to children.

Some of the survivors and court ordered contact support group members, who cannot be named, said: “I wish I had this booklet as a reference before I got involved with the court system. Especially as I haven’t always lived in Scotland, all the terminology used was completely new and I had no idea what to expect. This booklet demystifies much of the process and gives me the confidence in doing what’s right for my child.

“This booklet has excellent information and it is all really useful to women who find themselves in the family court system.”