Sandra, an
essential worker
, called our Helpline after her
abusive ex-partner would not return
her 5-year old son home to her, after a weekend visit. The couple had separated last year and had verbally agreed upon the child living with Sandra 80% of the time, a consistent visitation schedule and a child support amount; however, no custody or child support order was in place, so the father was only paying child support on occasion. Sandra not only wanted to see her son, but also had concerns about him being with his father due to a history of him being abusive to her in their son’s presence.
Sandra called PWJC for help in early April, after not seeing her son for over 3 weeks. She had filed her own custody order, and tried in vain to get assistance from the police and Children’s Services. Her ex-partner had told her that
he would not return their child citing the “shelter in place order,” her standing as an essential worker, and potential exposure to coronavirus
. PWJC attorneys appeared on Sandra’s behalf via Skype, addressed the safety concerns, and agreed to a
temporary shared custody arrangement
, where the child is with his father during the mother’s 4-day work week, and home with her for the rest of the week. Sandra was finally reunited with her son, after not seeing him for over a month!
PWJC will continue to represent her
in working out a more permanent custody arrangement for the future.