support for step daughter?...

hello again everybody...sorry, but i have another question and need your advice please?...
Having just been reading through previous posts, i see people have been talking about maintenance for step children from their ex partners?...
this is my situation...
i have a daughter from a previous relationship...biological father wanted no part of it, no idea where he is... my husband(been together 9 years, married 8) has raised my daughter as his own since she was 5 years old. We have another daughter together who is 8.
He has announced tonight that when he moves out of the marital home-if he moves out- he doesnt want to see my oldest daughter, and under no circumstances will he support her. He is also trying to force me to instigate contact with her boilogical father, which obviously i''m loathe to do at this age. She has only ever known my husband as her dad, has called him dad from us getting married, and i cant understand how he can be so cruel.But, after reading various posts, it seems he may be liable to supoort oldest daughter after all? I''m confused by this, as when i saw my solicitor before xmas, she only mentioned financial support for youngest daughter?...i was told he didnt have to pay towards my oldest daughter, his step daughter? Can someone please advise me further? Incidentally,we changed her name by Deed Poll to the family surname when we married, she has always called him, and known him, as dad, and is unaware as yet that he is her step father....Thankyou in advance xx

did he adopt her?

I don''t know the answer to your question sorry.

so she''s 14 and is unaware that he isn''t her biological father? poor little lamb, and yes he is being very cruel
(((())))) x

Hi vivi... xxx no, husband didnt adopt her. She''s coming up to 14 in the summer, and as yet doesnt know he isnt her biological father. I''ve booked a holiday for August this year, just me and the girls, and this was booked with the purpose of us having "the chat".... to be honest, i have always talked to her about life before husband, saying things like "can you remember when we did so-and-so? when it was just me and you, before we met your dad?", so that the seed has always been there. However, thinking it and hearing it confirmed are two different things. I''m worried also that if he only has contact with our youngest daughter, it will affect the girls relationship...what a nightmare xxx

Under the Child Support Act he won''t be required to pay maintenance for her, but she''s a child of the family and therefore must be provided for and will be considered during any split of your combined assets. He won''t be allowed to pretend that she doesn''t exist.

You can also apply for spousal maintenance and you could apply to the CSA to trace her biological father for support - you won''t have to contact him yourself.

Poor girl - what a cruel, stupid man.

thankyou for that "whenwillitallend".... but what is spousal maintenance? again, this is something that hasnt been mentioned by my solicitor?..x

Spousal maintenance is awarded if one party (commonly the wife but not always) cannot adequately support themselves without payment from the other. The amount paid is dependent on the needs of the awarded party, their own income (actual or potential) and the payer’s income. So if he earns more than you he cannot simply waltz off into the sunset without a backwards glance. He not only has obligations towards his daughter, but also to you as well.

And as you have a daughter to care for who he is unwilling to support then you may find it more difficult to support yourself...

In terms of your daughters'' relationship with each other...if your divorce is anything like mine was then your daughters will become even closer and the younger, seeing how upset her older sister is, will probably end up wanting very little to do with her father either. As I said, stupid man x

OH poor girl, I hope everything works out for you. sad how horrible divorces can be, they seem to bring out the worst in some people.