Parental alienation is when a child’s resistance or hostility towards one parent is not justified and is the result of psychological manipulation by the other parent. As a result of such manipulation by one parent a child may want to stop any contact with a parent following the divorce or separation of the parents.
If the courts can establish a case of parental alienation, then there are a few options available to the court which are:
One of the most severe consequence for parental alienation is transferring the custody of a child to the other parent. This is exactly what happened in the case of MFS (Appeal: Transfer of Primary Care) (2019).
The case concerned a child who following the separation of his parents resided with his mother. Proceedings have been ongoing with the case since 2012. The recent litigation commenced in May 2017 when the father applied for a change of residence. In March 2017 the mother suspended the child’s contact with the father on the basis that she has been notified by the school that the child expressed concerns regarding physical and emotional abuse by the fathers partner and the children of the father’s partner.
The judge ordered a section 37 report to be prepared and appointed a guardian for the child. The judge had concerns that the child’s comments in relation to the contact was due to influence and as a resulted directed for a psychologist assessment of the parents. The summary of the psychologist assessment was as follows:
A child psychiatrist report was also commissioned which identified that the child was suffering from stress which was a result of the parental situation and the child has been subject to and to having imbibed a very negative view of his father as well as his stepmother. A change of residence would alleviate stress if the court concluded that the mother had encouraged the child to form an unnecessary and unrealistically negative view of the father.
The Guardian expressed concern that the mother was asserting that the child had OCD and Tourette’s when there was no medical basis for this and was relaying inaccurate information about the father.
Following the above findings of the psychologist assessment of the parents, the s.37 report and the child psychiatrist report the judge was of the opinion that the mothers behaviour had caused the child significant emotional harm and made the order that the child was to immediately move to live with his father.
The mother filed a notice seeking permission to appeal against the order of 28th September 2018. The mother seeks that the order be set aside. The notice was filed some 5 weeks out of time. In between the final hearing and the lodging of the mother’s notice she had parted company with the solicitors and counsel who represented her at the final hearing and had instructed new solicitors and leading counsel.
The mothers’ grounds of appeal were:
The judge dismissed the appeal and stated “Having conducted what I consider to have been a very detailed review of the evidence before HHJ North and his judgment with the benefit of powerful written and oral advocacy in support of the parties cases I have reached the clear conclusion that the appeal is without merit. Whilst it was only possible to reach this clear view after that detailed consideration it is clear that neither of the grounds of appeal had any realistic prospect of success when tested against the evidence that the judge had available to him.”
The judge agreed that the due to the damage caused to the child from the parental alienation the decision to change the primary carer was in the child’s best interest and it was a decision which was proportionate on the evidence obtained.
This again is a clear reminder that parental alienation can cause significant harm to the child psychologically and is considered serious by the courts who have the power to remove the child from the care of the parent who is causing the parental alienation.
The legal consequences of parental alienation include contempt of court findings, custody modification orders, mandatory reunification therapy, supervised contact arrangements, and in severe cases, complete transfer of custody to the alienated parent. UK family courts take parental alienation seriously as it constitutes emotional abuse. CAFCASS often provides independent assessments to help courts understand the severity of the situation.
Yes, UK family courts can remove a child from an alienating parent and transfer custody to the previously alienated parent. This extreme measure occurs when courts find clear evidence of psychological manipulation that harms the child’s emotional wellbeing and relationship with the other parent.
To prove parental alienation, you need documented evidence including communication records showing negative messages about you, witness testimony from teachers or family members, CAFCASS reports, records of blocked contact attempts, and professional psychological assessments demonstrating the child’s unjustified rejection. Children experiencing this trauma often benefit from support through NHS mental health services during court proceedings.
UK family courts identify parental alienation through CAFCASS assessments, psychological evaluations, guardian reports, and evidence of manipulative behaviors including denigration campaigns, contact interference, false allegations, and encouraging the child’s unjustified rejection of the other parent.
Reunification therapy is a court-ordered therapeutic intervention designed to repair the damaged relationship between an alienated child and parent. It involves specialized counsellors working with both the child and alienated parent to address the psychological manipulation and rebuild their natural bond.
Yes, parental alienation is recognised by UK courts as a form of emotional abuse. It involves psychological manipulation that damages a child’s sense of identity, self-worth, and connection with an important parent, causing significant emotional harm that can persist into adulthood.
When a parent is found in contempt of court for parental alienation, they may face sanctions including fines, community service, suspended prison sentences, immediate custody changes, supervised contact only, and mandatory attendance at parenting programmes or therapy sessions.
Parental alienation cases can take several months to years to resolve, depending on the severity of manipulation, the child’s age, court availability, and willingness of parties to engage with therapeutic interventions. Early intervention significantly improves outcomes and reduces resolution time.
CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) investigates allegations of parental alienation, assesses the child’s welfare, interviews family members, prepares detailed reports for the court, and makes recommendations about custody arrangements and therapeutic interventions in the child’s best interests.
Yes, parental alienation often extends to the rejected parent’s entire extended family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Children may be manipulated to reject all family members associated with the alienated parent, causing widespread family breakdown and loss of important relationships.
Should you have any questions or concerns in relation to parental alienation or any child matter you can contact our offices to arrange a free initial consultation. Contact our family lawyers in Oxford today on 0330 094 5880 or let us call you back.
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