It is difficult to feel as though you are forcing your child to visit their parent if they do not want to. However, if your partner has court ordered access rights, you are responsible to ensure that they attend their visit. The court looks poorly on parents who do not facilitate a relationship between a child and their parent. Your responsibility to foster this relationship applies even if your child has special plans or is sick during a scheduled access time.
Stopping access between your child and their parent is only permitted in very limited circumstances; such as if you fear your partner is harming your child. In these situations, you may have the obligation to report this harm to the Children’s Aid Society. In order to stop access altogether, you will need to go to court to change the access arrangements. If you are concerned about access between your child and their parent, it is always advisable to speak to a family lawyer to learn more about your rights as a parent.
