Tag / UK

by lostdad

Transparency Project: Limits of court’s influence over adult disputes about children

I have just read an excellent summary from the transparency project (link below) about a case from 2011 that has just been published in the UK.

Interesting is the fact that the child was at the time a ward of court, and the parents were still fighting for the child. In 2009 there had been enough evidence to see that the actions of both parents were detrimental to the child. In 2011 the judge summed up so:

The difficulty in the case is that each of them has heard clearly what I have said about the other, but for the most part, have not heard what was said about them … The conflict continues unabated. The mother continues to make allegations which the court has found unsubstantiated in her discussions with other professionals. The father still has no chink of understanding about why it all went wrong in the first place so far as his behaviour was concerned…

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by lostdad

Away for the weekend

Leicester - Attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alant79/

Leicester – Attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alant79/

I was in the country of my birth last weekend. The first time privately (not business) since 2009. There are many reasons for this – lack of money, the shame of what has happened to me etc. etc.

The reason was for a reunion of friends that graduated in the summer of 1987. Yes it really is thirty years since I graduated, when my whole life seemed rosy and full of promise!

To tell the truth I did not want to go. I was afraid of another round of having to explain why I am in the situation with the children that I now find myself, “What did you do to make her do that?”. My wife persuaded me to go, and I love her for it, for I had one of the best weekends ever.

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by lostdad

UK: Suspended jail sentence for breaching contact order

OK, this is from April, but I am genuinely surprised that it has not ‘surfaced’ before!

A family court in Nottingham sentenced a mother to 56 days for contempt of court. The sentence was suspended for one year which means that should she continue to be ‘unwilling’ in that time period to abide by the terms of the child arrangement order she will go to jail.

A signal against parental alienation, and parents that think they can get away with just not letting absent parents see their children.

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by lostdad

Karen Woodall: How to Change the World

Karen Woodall

Yesterday I worked with an inspiring group of people who attended our only UK practitioner training to be held this year.  Despite a couple of technical hitches, we worked through the day on the principles used by the Family Separation Clinic to unpack and analyse cases of parental alienation. Each person was focused and brought to the training their own experience of working in this field. Psychologists, psychotherapists, child protection social workers, step parent support workers and specialist mediators and psychotherapists from Holland, all together in the desire to further understand the problem and how to work with it.  I ended the day inspired, invigorated and absolutely certain that the way to change the world for alienated children is to prepare and plant seeds in as many places of the world as possible and then water and nurture them and support them to flourish.  Which is what I will be…

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by lostdad

Karen Woodall: The Politics of Love and Hate

PA is obviously gaining traction. Some people are compiling a database to enable criticism of Karen Woodhall not only as a practitioner in this field but also as a person!

Karen Woodall

It has been another busy week at the Family Separation Clinic where we continue to deliver services for families affected by parental alienation.  This week I have been once again working with children affected by the problem, as well as thinking about new projects coming up which will keep us busy long into the new decade.

In the coming months our new book will be published, we will launch Parental Alienation Direct as a self help site for everyone affected by parental alienation, and we will be travelling to Prague with colleagues from 14 other EU countries, for the launch of the European Association of Parental Alienation Practitioners.

On July 8th, I will be speaking at the Children’s Mental Health Centre conference ‘Too Much Pain’ where the groundbreaking film about adverse childhood experiences – Resilience – will be shown.  I cannot tell you how excited I am to see this…

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by lostdad

Transparency: What to do about ‘parental alienation’: B (change of residence; parental alienation) March 2017

 

Excellent analysis of a recent decision to move a child that had been alienated from her father to the father.

To quote:

Certainly, parental alienation is a topic of significant public interest and importance for families and family justice professionals. It provokes strong opinions, including on whether and how the family court system (including Cafcass) ought to do better in identifying and managing parental alienation. International Parental Alienation Day on 25 April 2017 inspired a fair amount of commentary. See this Hansard debate secured by ex-Labour Party MP Simon Danczuk on 17 March for a flavour.

via What to do about ‘parental alienation’: B (change of residence; parental alienation) March 2017 | The Transparency Project

by lostdad

Norwich father urges judges to publish rulings on his decade-long family court battle which has cost him more than £500,000

Old Bailey

Old Bailey: Picture by Ben Sutherland

A Norwich man urges the family court to actually publish the transcripts of his 10-year odyssey in trying to see (more) of his child.

  • In his case six courts in two different areas of the UK were involved
  • a half a million pounds was spent by him
  • every hearing was in private

How on earth can justice be ‘served’ in this case?  There is a huge need for transparency in the family courts to stop situations like this.

via Norwich father urges judges to publish rulings on his decade-long family court battle which has cost him more than £500,000 – Crime – Eastern Daily Press