UK: Watchdog criticises family courts’ handling of domestic abuse

Article here. Excerpt:

'The findings highlight concerns about unsafe contact orders in private law children’s proceedings, in particular when allegations of “parental alienation” are made.

It says claims of parental alienation – a term used to describe the unwarranted rejection of a parent by a child because of manipulation by the other parent – as a counter-allegation to claims of domestic abuse are having a “chilling effect” on the ability of parents to disclose abuse in order to ensure safe contact arrangements for their children.

Jacobs said there was a feeling among victims and survivors of abuse that these counter-allegations were taken more seriously than allegations of domestic abuse.

She told the Guardian: “We tend to see counter-allegations weighted and explored in parallel. And what we really want to see is a child-centred approach and a full understanding of domestic abuse before we even consider the concept of alienation.”'