Mackenzie Friend Canterbury

Canterbury is a city that hides a lot. The students, the cathedral, the commuters on the high-speed line, the NHS workforce at the Kent and Canterbury, the long-standing local families. Behind all of that, a steady stream of fathers go through child arrangements proceedings alone, often because legal aid is no longer available, often because solicitor fees have been ruinous, often because they've simply run out of money before the case is over.

Most family court hearings for fathers in Canterbury are heard at the Canterbury Combined Court Centre, with some matters listed at Medway or Maidstone depending on the case. Whichever court you're sent to, the pressure is the same: turn up, stay calm, speak clearly, don't get into the conflict the other side may be hoping for.

• Court preparation

  Working through what each hearing is actually for, what the judge is likely to want to hear, and how to walk in steady rather than dysregulated.

• Document organisation

  Pulling years of messages, emails, school reports and contact records into a calm, indexed bundle the court can actually use.

• Preparing your statement

  Helping you write a position statement or witness statement in your own words, focused on facts and the child's welfare, not on grievance.

• Attendance at hearings

  With the court's permission, sitting beside you in the hearing, taking notes, and quietly prompting so you can speak for yourself with less panic.

• Emotional support between hearings

  Trauma-informed coaching support for the stress, grief and fear most fathers carry in this process. This is the part of the work that keeps a man functioning while the case rolls on.

• Community Supported Space

  A lower-cost option for fathers who could not otherwise access this kind of help, run as part of MendCoaching's wider work with men in East Kent.

Having someone who knows the area matters. I'm based in East Kent. I can meet for in-person prep sessions in or near Canterbury, and I can be there with you at court, with the court's permission, on the day of your hearing.