Child arrangements

Eight Facets of Parental Alienation – 3: Dichotomy of Parents The dichotomy of parents refers to the stark contrast often drawn between the alienating parent and the targeted parent. This contrast extends beyond mere differences in behaviour or parenting styles, and encompasses broader perceptions[...]

Eight Facets of Parental Alienation – 2: Unfounded Rationalisation Unfounded rationalisation in the context of parental alienation refers to the process by which an alienating parent justifies their behaviour, often to themselves, in order to validate their actions of denigrating the other parent[...]

Eight Facets of Parental Alienation – 1: Campaign of Denigration Campaigns of denigration describe the deliberate and systematic efforts of one parent to undermine the relationship between a child and the other parent. In essence, it involves one parent actively disparaging and belittling the[...]

Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) – This is an organisation which works with children and young people and their families, and then advises the family court on what it considers to be in the best interests of each child. Cafcass worker – Depending on what the family[...]

The Only Person I Am Constantly With Is Me “It is still the case that 50/50 shared care arrangements between parents are comparatively rare in private law children cases. Research shows that a number of factors have to be in place, practical matters such as the close geographical proximity, but,[...]

Is indirect contact working to promote contact between parents and their children? We talk about indirect contact fairly regularly, as it is an important part of our work as McKenzie Friends. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, indirect contact is when the court orders that a parent may[...]

Parental Alienation or Implacable Hostility: The Language of the Family Court Content warnings – this article discusses paedophilia and other paraphilias. It also mentions child suicide and rape. We believe it is important to be aware of the history behind the terms ‘parental alienation’[...]

Under Section 3 of the Children Act 1989 this is defined as all rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to a child and his property. Aspects of parental responsibility include: determining the child’s religion, education, name,[...]

A case of extreme parental alienation was heard in London earlier this year, in which a father was being alienated by his ex-wife. She was manipulating the children, and going to extreme lengths to do so. This case had been to court several times, spanning many years. A team of psychiatrists had been[...]

When families fall apart, do they fall too easily into court? An analysis of a speech given by Sir Andrew McFarlane (AM), President of the Family Division, on October 31st 2022, at The Worcestershire High Sheri’s Lecture 2022 at the University of Worcester AM suggests that separating parents[...]

In an application for a care order, the local authority must provide basic information to the court and to the parties about case management and long term planning. The court cannot make a final care order unless it has considered a care plan. The Care Plan presented by the local authority must be[...]