Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Children’s Act 1989 to protect children from the effects of Parental Alienation syndrome and implacable hostility.

Caroline Dinenage

Guidance on Parental Alienation Syndrome is not issued to family court judges as the ‘syndrome’ is not recognised as such by many professionals in this country.

The Children Act 1989 contains adequate provisions to protect against the effects of parental alienation or implacable hostility. These include the requirement for the court to ascertain the wishes and feelings of a child who is the subject of a parental dispute, commensurate with that child’s age and level of understanding and the power to request Cafcass to prepare a welfare report into any matters relevant to the child or the family.

Cafcass practitioners are aware of the potential for children to be influenced or alienated by parental views and are alert to this possibility throughout the case.