[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

Unmarried parents have a rough time, when a couple divorce the children are discussed and in the main provisions made for them to have reasonable access to both parents.
This is not the case for unmarried couples, many are left in a no mans land with little help support or advice.
I would like legal aid to be available for all fathers to assist in mediating contact, for too long the onus has been on financial contribution.

mhhmm, absolutely. An unmarried father isn't even legal guardian to his own child, even if his name is on the birth cert. He has to either get the mothers permission to be appointed legal guardian or (as in my husbands case) if she refuses he has to go through the courts to make it so, which costs alot of money, not to mention lost earnings for having to take time off work to do it too.

What's annoying is his ex was entitled to free legal aid but he wasn't and she actually told a mutual friend of theirs that she didn't care how often he had to take her to court cos it wasn't costing her a penny