Parental alienation - a hidden form of child abuse

We have recently experienced a significant increase in cases of parental alienation in the UK. These issues tend to arise in circumstances following a breakdown of a marriage or relationship, where child arrangements are not agreed.

What is parental alienation?

Whilst there is no single definition of parental alienation, it is described as a series of ongoing patterns of negative behaviour and attitudes of one parent that causes a child to now want to spend time or maintain a relationship with the other parent.

The reason why there is no single definition is that alienating behaviours can take many different forms and they can often have devastating consequences on a child’s wellbeing and relationship with their parents. Often when parents are going through separation or divorce, tensions can run high, and this can result in parents involving children in adult conversations and allowing their own personal views about the other parent to be imparted onto the child.

A child should never be caught in the middle of conflict, but even more so when they feel that they must reflect the negative views of one parent against the other. The consequence of this is that it is likely to lead to a child suffering emotional harm, which can amount to a child protection issue.

Sometimes, parents can exhibit parental alienation without even being fully aware of it, either by denigrating the parent in the earshot of the child or simply displaying a negative attitude towards the other parent.

This can have a monumental impact on the child arrangements that follow the breakdown of a relationship.

The significance of parental alienation

In the event that parties find themselves before the court as a result of issues concerning child arrangements, allegations of parental alienation will be taken very seriously.

The court may need to carry out further investigation into these allegations and if proof of parental alienation is found then the court will make appropriate orders to safeguard a child from future exposure to this. This may result in the parent responsible for this conduct having their time with the child limited or supervised in order to better protect the child.

If you or someone you know are experiencing issues relating to parental alienation, feel free to contact us to book in a fixed fee initial consultation with one of our specialist family lawyers.