In the Parliamentary debate on Family Court Reform and CAFCASS on 22 March, LINK , MP for Coventry Northwest Taiwo Owatemi has called for an inquiry into the use of alienation claims in family disputes.
On the surface of it an inquiry FNF would fully support. But dig down a little deeper into what she says, and you find she repeats the age-old Women’s Aid arguments that claims of parental alienation is just another weapon used by abusive fathers to continue their abuse of their ex after divorce or separation. We know of no such case. Given the secrecy of the family courts and the erratic nature of some of their judgements we cannot say there are none. But our information comprehensive and if there was any trend, we would know. Our objective is ‘both parents’ not to transfer of exclusive rights from one to another. We believe that the ‘paramount consideration’ is child welfare. That should preclude moving children from a good parent to a bad one!
“The concept has little to no evidence to support it, but is nonetheless one accepted, resulting in children being placed with an abusive parent” she claims. She even goes so far as to claim CAFCASS has a “… deeply embedded pro-contact culture”. Victims of PA will need to take a deep breath before reading this LINK
If you are her constituent and have been affectped, please contact newseditor@fnf.org.uk our editor, who has written to her asking for an urgent meeting.
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