Parental alienation is defined by The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) as when a child’s resistance or hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent.

It occurs when a resident parent psychologically manipulates a child to distance themselves from the non-resident parent. This manipulation is normally intentional and has the sole aim of making the child believe that the non-resident parent is dangerous, abusive and generally a bad person to be around.

This manipulation often results in the child not wanting to spend any time with the non-resident parent, creating a vicious circle whereby the relationship between the non-resident parent and the child breaks down even further over a period of time because of the lack of contact.

Signs of parental alienation:

  • A child refuses to have contact with the non-resident parent without legitimate reason
  • A child uses adult language to try and explain why they do not want to spend time with the non-resident parent but when pressed on the topic becomes vague about their reasoning
  • A child focuses on the negative aspects of one parent and holds on to them whilst aliening themselves with the non-resident parent and their views

Over the past few weeks, the term parental alienation has triggered a debate within the family justice system as it has been reported that perpetrators of domestic violence are increasingly hiding behind this term in an attempt to silence or diminish claims of domestic abuse. This occurs in situations where one parent has subjected the other parent to a form of domestic violence and the child, as a result of this abuse, wishes to distance themselves from the perpetrator.

In these situations, it has become commonplace for the perpetrators to accuse the victim of parental alienation simply due to the fact that they are no longer having contact with the child. In reality, it may be the case that the child has witnessed the domestic abuse and there is therefore a legitimate reason as to why the child does not wish to see the other parent.

As a result of the increasing number of cases following this pattern, the Family Justice Council has issued draft guidance on how to handle cases where parental alienation is being alleged. This guidance stresses that there must be evidence of manipulation of the child against the non-resident parent.

It also clarifies that the mere rejection of a parent by a child is not evidence of parental alienation on its own as there may be a legitimate reason for the child rejecting one parent, for example, if the child has witnessed or been subjected to domestic abuse.

If you require further information about this topic please contact Cheryl Haywood.

It occurs when a resident parent psychologically manipulates a child to distance themselves from the non-resident parent. This manipulation is normally intentional and has the sole aim of making the child believe that the non-resident parent is dangerous, abusive and generally a bad person to be around.

This manipulation often results in the child not wanting to spend any time with the non-resident parent, creating a vicious circle whereby the relationship between the non-resident parent and the child breaks down even further over a period of time because of the lack of contact.

Signs of parental alienation:

  • A child refuses to have contact with the non-resident parent without legitimate reason
  • A child uses adult language to try and explain why they do not want to spend time with the non-resident parent but when pressed on the topic becomes vague about their reasoning
  • A child focuses on the negative aspects of one parent and holds on to them whilst aliening themselves with the non-resident parent and their views

Over the past few weeks, the term parental alienation has triggered a debate within the family justice system as it has been reported that perpetrators of domestic violence are increasingly hiding behind this term in an attempt to silence or diminish claims of domestic abuse. This occurs in situations where one parent has subjected the other parent to a form of domestic violence and the child, as a result of this abuse, wishes to distance themselves from the perpetrator.

In these situations, it has become commonplace for the perpetrators to accuse the victim of parental alienation simply due to the fact that they are no longer having contact with the child. In reality, it may be the case that the child has witnessed the domestic abuse and there is therefore a legitimate reason as to why the child does not wish to see the other parent.

As a result of the increasing number of cases following this pattern, the Family Justice Council has issued draft guidance on how to handle cases where parental alienation is being alleged. This guidance stresses that there must be evidence of manipulation of the child against the non-resident parent.

It also clarifies that the mere rejection of a parent by a child is not evidence of parental alienation on its own as there may be a legitimate reason for the child rejecting one parent, for example, if the child has witnessed or been subjected to domestic abuse.

If you require further information about this topic please contact Cheryl Haywood.