I still don't have parental responsibility and am therefore still not legally anything to do with my daughter.

I put in an application for residency, but the key factor was, that I attended an ex parte court hearing in advance at which an "interim prohibited steps order" was issued, which bound our daughter to her current address until the issue be resolved.

I have been my daughters main carer ever since she stopped breast feeding, but in the current political reality, had I applied for residency and not got an order, mother could have simply upped and left with child, I would not have been able to stop her. She would then probably have been advised to adjourn repeatedly until such time as enough time had passed for her to say "but look, I've been her main carer for 6 months now" etc. I would have been better off saving my money for maintenance.

My intention wasn't to do anything but remove the threat of removal and upheaval etc. I hoped it would be a wake up call. Unfortunately it was all followed by more reckless stupidity and spite of the lowest type, but as I have said before, it lacked teeth as long as my baby was safe.