Your friend needs to consult a solicitor as soon as possible. The child maintenance she can expect to receive from the child's father depends very much on his income and although things are amicable at the moment they may not always be so. I have several friends who trusted the father to behave reasonably and support their children and this only seems to last until there is a new woman on the scene! After that, forget it!

Hi,
One of my friends' partners has just left her alone, with their 3-yr old, for someone else. She is absolutely devastated, but we are all helping her as best we can.
He has agreed to help her financially and wants to keep it all as amicable as possible (how??). I was just wondering if anyone has any experience of similar and knew what he was bound by law to pay for his little girl. Also, what about his legal rights to see her?
thanksxx

Your friend needs to consult a solicitor as soon as possible. The child maintenance she can expect to receive from the child's father depends very much on his income and although things are amicable at the moment they may not always be so. I have several friends who trusted the father to behave reasonably and support their children and this only seems to last until there is a new woman on the scene! After that, forget it!

think before having kids, I know a man with four young children by two women, who claims the CSA are ruining him. Ok they, probably are and I know he is on a low income anyway, but maybe he shouldn't have had four daughters?
Or am I being callous...
I don't know, I don't have children. Just a thought.

Hi,
I am divorced and I did it when my baby girl was 40 day old. He paid no interset for her and he is excusing himself that she is too small for him. It is my opinion that I should not give him a time to get to know her since he does not know who she realy is nor he has ever taken care.
If you are asking me she should not ask for money nor to let him know his baby girl. She should remember that he will always have something of him at your friend's home.

She should let him know his baby girl.
A baby need a father as well as a mother and it is a disaster when a child is fatherless.

It is a disaster, but plenty of people grow up with absent fathers and turn out ok. Very often the father is the one who doesn't want to know and they can't be forced!

That's really helpful, am so worried about herxxxxx

Try the CSA web site for help: http://www.csa.gov.uk/
Although the system is absolutely rubbish at the moment... it's a good sign that he wants to keep it amicable though, hey.

A similar thing happened to my sister when her boys were toddlers (she has twins).
He has legal parental responsibility towards his children (think this is as long as he is on the birth cert - don't quote me on that, it might stand anyway) and I think he pays a percentage of the mortgage as well.
As far as I know, maintenance should be is about 15% of his salary. My sister also gets various benefits and tax credits as a working single mum - don't know if your friend works or not?
hope this helpsxx