Father ‘who can’t say no’ told he cannot care for daughter

A JUDGE has banned a father from taking care of his daughter because he has “difficulty saying no” to her.

The man lost a court fight after Judge Joanna Vincent said she was concerned he was unable to set behaviour boundaries.

She decided that the youngster, who is in her mid-teens, should stay in council care and continue to live at a children’s home.

The judge said the girl needed to live with a carer who was “very clear about rules” and the “consequences for breaking them”. She outlined her decision in a ruling after analysing evidence at a family court hearing in Oxford in July.

Social workers at Oxfordshire County Council intervened some years ago when the man, and his then wife, were together with a number of children they had “no control” over.

Judge Vincent said the children had shown a “complete lack of respect” for their parents but a few months ago the man, who still sees the girl, had asked if she could be allowed to live with him.

The girl said she wanted to live with her father, who had attended parenting courses to “reflect upon the shortcomings of the past”.

But Judge Vincent dismissed the man’s application as she was not convinced he could meet the girl’s needs or keep her safe.

Explaining her thinking to the girl in a letter, she wrote: “Your dad really loves you and wants the best for you, but that means that he finds it difficult to say no to you. I think it is very important that you live with a carer who is very clear about rules or boundaries and the consequences for breaking them.”