Contact denied with GD

If dad is not honouring the FaceTime he could say why.
And the child doesn’t have to be plonked in front of the camera to perform as suggested by a pp. the child could be at a table colouring in and grandparents could have a short chat about what child is drawing.... just an example.

Dad is in breach of the court order regarding FaceTime. He is in contempt of court.

I think right now because everyone one is handling this stressful situation with the pandemic in their own way to realize that no one is reacting to stress of any kind well. When the time is right you can peruse. But if the child is the one not wanting to have contact, as hard as it is, honor that. The pandemic is causing everyone to grieve in their own way. Children are affected as well.

This kind of situation is tough. ntmbl, was there a children's guardian involved ? If so, it may be worth a call to talk through the best way forward
Hithere, I recognise your point but the child should be the most important thing here

Can you not call them at the time? That way you then have the call log as well and they can’t throw waiting for you to call them at you.

Days and times are given for the calls but they never materialise I then follow up and another day and time is offered this doesn’t happen either, it’s game playing & carrot dangling.

Are calls getting picked up and nobody talks or just they/you are not calling at all?

NTMB

What are the issues why the father didn't want you to see his dd?

The father may have felt you forced his hand and even if the judge thinks it is beneficial for the kid, he still disagrees.
I am not saying who is right and who is wrong here.

He doesn't owe you contact in exchange for your kindness.

Well he may not owe , but basic decency and care for his daughter says he would allow it, as (from the information given and with NO alternative conjecture because I don't know) the granddaughter appears happy with the "good relationship with her grandparents!!"

IF he feels that the relationship is not a positive or beneficial one, that's up to him but IF that is the case, at the moment if he takes the kindness he is having his cake and eating it. If he does feel that then he should break off contact, (and deal with the court order consequences) not take the kindness whilst making it inconsistent for his daughter!!

Thankful for so many responses to my op, I did deactivate the account but decided to return and explain a bit further.
My GD is 6 and we have a very close relationship. Going to court was the very last resort for us to enable that relationship because dad made it impossible for us to have any access, the court decided for her well being that she should have regular contact with us and that was awarded however dad has often dug his heels In and still makes it difficult for us, this is all about control for him, we have tried every way possible to engage and support him emotionally and financially. I understand she may not want to come to the phone and I understand this isn’t about us or him but I just want to ensure she has access to us which dad revels in denying and is using this lockdown to his advantage, obviously visits cannot happen at the moment but calls or FaceTime can. We will not give up on her.

Iam64.
Exactly. That where the problem may come from.

Don’t forget to keep a written record of all contacts and conversations.

You must be very worried. We may be in difficult times but we are at home far more than usual so I don’t see why FaceTime should not take place as agreed by the court.

I think if it were me I would email him if you can, and explain how you feel but if the problem continues then you could contact the solicitor involved at the time court made its decision. As Iam says, it clearly felt continued contact with you was important fir your grandchild. Good luck.

Hithere, the Court order doesn't mean the differences disappear, of course. What it does do, is recognise a significant relationship already exists and its in the child's best interests for that relationship to continue

The fact that they had to go to court in order to secure the right to maintain a relationship with their grandchild speaks volumes about the fathers reluctance/refusal to cooperate-

One doesn't petition the court without proof of prior effort+ They petition the court after their efforts have been dashed-

The fact that the GPs went to court for GPR means that they had issues with the father of the child allowing visits before the GPR were awarded?

There is more to this story than just the parent allegedly disrupting the visitation schedule.

The court forcing a visitation schedule does not mean that the differences and conflicts with the parent automatically disappear.

The grandparent was awarded visitation and face time-

Understandably, visitation isn't wise at this time- Face time on the other hand is safe-

The child is at least 3, according to the OP- Old enough at the very least to say hello via video chat- The father could also be cooperative and text a video or photos and encourage the relationship that's been deemed meaningful by the court, in the child's best interest-

The OP should document all of her efforts and petition the court again if the father refuses to adhere to the ruling-

Children are much better off with adults on the same team, not fighting over them. Have you considered the route of building a genuine relationship with the father and earning his trust? I would start by apologizing to him for ever bringing this to court.

eazybee, you make a sensible and sensitive post. The OP hasn't returned, little wonder given many of the responses.

You need to register that you are not able to access contact via Facetime, but as civilly as possible; visiting is not going to be possible at this present time, I would think.
Make it clear that you understand the circumstances but that you intend to pursue the contact you are entitled to when normal patterns of life are resumed, otherwise you will face accusations of not bothering.

It does indeed. This could be a preschooler who’s frankly going to show you the ceiling while wondering off talking about paw patrol cute but not really a call or a preteen/teenager who might not want to be forced to have video chats every week. In the middle you might have a child who’d love to chat but dad is being a butt but sometimes what’s best for the child isn’t what others want from the child. I hate video calls as a adult and avoid them as much as possible.

Yes, I wondered how old she is. It does make a difference.

How old is she? Only one of my three would be happy to be plonked on a demanded rather than they asked for FaceTime.

I would probably think it important, under the circumstances, to let the other party know that I wasn't deliberately denying access.

Facetime isn't always working right now with so many online. I've not been able to facetime anyone, even with fibre broadband. Children don't always like it either. We are all missing people. Just have to be patient.

The fact the OP has a court order suggests this was carefully considered by a Judge who had full view of all the facts. As we know, grandparents have no rights to have contact. The child has a right to continue significant relationships. The fact the Court made an Order suggests a significant relationship exists.

Usually court documents disclose addresses to the parties. If you don't have the address where she lives , do you know the paternal grandparents. Is there any way you can send a small gift, like a book or drawing kit, you don't say how old she is. I'd try and maintain some indirect contact, postcards, letters, the occasional small gift during this lock down. I'd avoid Court if you can - if you were legally represented can you ask your solicitor to arrange mediation?