Nic Robson

For the avoidance of doubt, the Family Justice Council (FJC) recognises that ‘parental alienation syndrome’ has no evidential basis and is considered a harmful pseudo-science. Concepts of ‘parental alienation syndrome’ and ‘parental alienation’ are increasingly exploited within family litigation’ GREAT....however: They will continue to use it anyway... BUT...this will now be based on the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s much better RRR framework: This guidance will therefore refer to a child’s unexplained ‘reluctance, resistance and refusal’ to spend time with a parent (RRR)

‘Alienating Behaviours range in intensity and their impact on children, but these harms can be far reaching. They can affect a child’s emotional, social and psychological development.’ This is a false assertion. There is no child-study that evidences long term harm from ‘alienating behaviours’. The only studies that exist are based on retrospective studies with adults who already self-identify as ‘alienated’ The guidance at several points cites studies on alienating behaviours of children as harmful to them - there are NO child studies evidencing harm to children in existence - all the studies are on adults who self identify as alienated - you cannot use these studies to state there is harm to children. The guidance references Hine et al, a case in point espousing harm to children based on adult participants - proving our point

Moving on...’A court would therefore need to be satisfied that three elements are established before it could conclude that Alienating Behaviours had occurred: 1) the child is reluctant, resisting or refusing to engage in, a relationship with a parent or carer; and 2) the reluctance, resistance or refusal is not consequent on the actions of that parent towards the child or the other parent, which may therefore be an appropriate justified rejection by the child (AJR – see Glossary above), or is not caused by any other factor such as the child’s alignment, affinity or attachment (AAA – see Glossary above); and 3) the other parent has engaged in behaviours that have directly or indirectly impacted on the child, leading to the child’s reluctance, resistance or refusal to engage in a relationship with that parent.’

...more positives: ‘It is recognised that allegations of ‘parental alienation’ are often raised in response to allegations of domestic abuse. Concerns have been raised that allegations of Alienating Behaviours are used as a form of post-separation control/abuse, and as a litigation tactic to silence survivors of domestic abuse (both parents and children) and side-line their allegations and experiences of abuse and harm In light of their respective prevalence, and the relative harm to children and adult survivors, allegations of domestic abuse and ‘parental alienation’ cannot be equated. The risk, relevance and weight attached to ‘parental alienation’ and domestic abuse should not automatically be considered equal.’

Short summary of the 'alienating behaviours' guidance. Many positives for which we are grateful but much more to be done re CSA and training of judiciary. Ultimately, the courts require nothing short of overhaul. Let's hope this new guidance is used effectively to protect children and adult victims.

Appropriate justified rejection (AJR) and attachment, affinity and alignment (AAA) 19.The court should remain mindful that a child might withdraw from a relationship with a parent for a variety of reasons. 20.Children can and do come to their own conclusions about what has happened in their family and how this affects their attitude to living with, or spending time with, one of their parents. They may wish to make choices or exert an influence over how they live their lives. 21.The child’s response may be an AJR because of harmful parenting, including neglect or exposure to abuse (of themselves or their other parent).

22.Their actions may arise from alignment or affinity with one parent. They may not have strong negative feelings for the other parent but prefer spending time with one parent. Alignment may arise from the child’s experience of the other parent’s level of involvement in their lives, poor parenting, developmentally inappropriate expectations of a parent or merely differing parenting styles. 23.The child’s behaviour and feelings may be an attachment strategy, their way of eliciting care from the parent they live with or protecting that relationship.

24.Alignment and attachment issues can result in RRR without any Alienating Behaviours being perpetrated by an adult. Indeed, it is important to recognise that a child’s RRR may remain unexplained, and the lack of a clear explanation does not confirm exposure to Alienating Behaviours. The child may have other reasons or motivations for their actions, e.g., their feelings about a new adult relationship or unhappiness about the practical arrangements in place. It is not appropriate for experts to ‘diagnose’ or risk assess Alienating Behaviours. The court’s deliberations should begin with domestic abuse and review the Alienating Behaviours allegations through that prism. If a court finds that domestic abuse has occurred resulting in AJR by the child, the allegations of alienation will fail.

The burden is on the parent alleging ABs to prove the behaviours and harm: ‘a parent alleging Alienating Behaviours must discharge the burden of establishing both that such harmful behaviour has occurred, and that this behaviour has led to a child’s unjustified reluctance, resistance or refusal to spend time with that parent. There is no equivalence between domestic abuse and Alienating Behaviours. Domestic abuse is a criminal offence and both a parent/carer and a child may be a victim.’ In our view then - these criminal cases do not belong in family civil courts but specialised criminal courts ‘Care should be taken not to dismiss the voice of the child in the absence of compelling evidence to show that psychological manipulation has impacted on their capacity to freely express their wishes. Care should be taken not to assume that the style of language a child uses when speaking to professionals, in isolation, confirms an allegation of Alienating Behaviour or ‘coaching’.

The guidance fails to even mention child sexual abuse, who will be training CAFCASS and the judiciary in deciphering where there is harm from domestic abuse, child sexual abuse and/or harmful manipulation of a child against another parent.

Negatives: Apart from quoting adult studies again to evidence so-called harm to children on ‘alienating behaviours’ as detailed above: The guidance fails to even mention child sexual abuse The guidance fails to mention who will be training CAFCASS and the judiciary in deciphering where there is harm from domestic abuse, child sexual abuse and/or harmful manipulation of a child against another parent. It is essential that courts have access to ongoing abuse, child development and trauma training and that this is delivered by accredited experts.

Overall, we welcome this as a positive step BUT We are not convinced this will stop legal professionals and abusers from counter-claiming alienating behaviours: ‘Whilst allegations of Alienating Behaviour might be raised in the original application or response documents, the allegations might be raised for the first time at any stage in proceedings e.g., at the first case management hearing, or at a subsequent point, as a reason for the breakdown in child/parent relations. 33.It is incumbent on the court to case manage robustly to avoid, whenever possible...’ Vulnerable families will still face protracted and traumatic litigation. This must stop. full guidance here: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Family-Justice-Council-Guidance-on-responding-to-allegations-of-alienating-behaviour-2024-1-1.pdf

Overall, we welcome this as a positive step BUT

We are not convinced this will stop legal professionals and abusers from counter-claiming alienating behaviours: full guidance here:
www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...

How many women were sexually harassed at work? EU gender-based violence survey.

Safety at work? Sadly not for the 1 in 3 women in the EU that have been sexually harassed at work.

Shocking survey findings from @eu-eurostat.extwitter.link /
@eurightsagency.bsky.social / EIGE.

From prevention to protection, employers take note.

For more see: europa.eu/!rybfbP

British mum speaks out about her modern slavery experience for Yorkshire charity campaign Yorkshire charity launches campaign with an important film highlighting the reality of modern slavery

✍️ British mum speaks out about her modern slavery experience for charity campaign

In July, Yorkshire charity Cayseway launched a new campaign with an important film highlighting the reality of modern slavery

#AbolitionOfSlavery

The charity Migrant Help estimates that there are currently around 122,000 people trapped in modern slavery across the UK – and the number is increasing. Read more. ⬇️
https://buff.ly/4igH8cv

"We promote Open Justice in the Court of Protection"

Precedent exists which family court could follow.

A bar chart titled “Number of low-income households in hardship, May 2022 – October 2024” displays data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) cost of living tracker survey conducted by Savanta. The chart is divided into three categories: 1. Going without essentials: Both May 2024 and October 2024 show 7 million low-income households struggling without basic necessities. 2. Including food insecurity: Both May 2024 and October 2024 report 5.4 million low-income households experiencing food insecurity. 3. In arrears: Both May 2024 and October 2024 show 4.3 million households in arrears. The visual demonstrates consistent hardship levels across the reported periods.

New figures from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation:

- 7 million families are going without essentials, including 5.4 million without enough food.
- 86% of those on Universal Credit, and 93% of those with UC deductions, are affected.

Overgenerous benefits, #Dispatches?

Thanks @safelives.bsky.social: Data held by police only provides a partial picture of the actual level of domestic abuse experienced, as only 1 in 5 people report to the police -we need a national domestic abuse data dashboard which draws together qual/quant data from survivors, services, Maracs LAs

Academics! This this is worth reading to help reach more people with your research. Also contains some great statistics, so win win.

Scientists, academics, researchers: We’re excited to share that @altmetric.com is now tracking mentions of your research on Bluesky! 🧪

If you have any more suggestions please add them!

Barnardos: shop.barnardos.org.uk/Wine-&-Treat...

Lots of hampers on here including kids sweets. Proceed go toward helping support children in the UK who are living in poverty, struggling with mental health conditions or in need of education.

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Organic Baby Clothes - From Babies with Love Buy Beautiful Practical Organic Baby Clothes Online and All Profits support Abandoned Children. Free Drawstring Gift Bag and Stylish Greetings Card with All Orders. All gifts are ethically and sustain...

From Babies with Love: frombabieswithlove.org

Baby clothing and toy company that donates ALL it's profits to orphaned and abandoned children. They support charities that provide family homes, education, healthcare and support to overcome trauma to children and young people.

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cuddle + kind dolls | 1 hand-knit doll = 10 meals Ethically produced, hand-knit dolls that help feed children in need. Each doll is hand knit in Peru by talented artisans with premium cotton.

Cuddle and Kind Dolls: ca.cuddleandkind.com/en-gb

Each doll sold provides 10 meals to children experiencing poverty and hunger

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Fahlo | Animal Tracking Bracelets Our mission is to Save Wildlife. Each Fahlo bracelet comes with an animal to track through our partnerships with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Save the Elephants, Polar Bears International, and Saving t...

myfahlo.com/en-gb

Choose an animal to track such as a shark or a wolf, pick a bracelet and then each bracelet allows you to track your animal wherever it is in the world. They partner with non profits and conservation charities to help support wildlife.

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Microfinance from CARE International UK CARE International's microfinance lending initiative

Lend With Care: lendwithcare.org

Run by Care International, you lend money to an entrepreneur in a 3rd world or low income country. The entrepreneur sets up their business with your help, and then pays the loan back to you. (Minimum lend is £15)

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Migrateful | Recipes Rebuilding Lives Migrateful runs cookery classes taught by refugees and migrants on their journey to integration. Migrateful is an award-winning UK charity.

If anyone is interested in "gifts that give back" for Christmas this year here's a thread:

Migrateful: www.migrateful.org

Through training and holistic support, refugees teach cooking classes (online available) in their traditional dishes. The vegetarian Syrian cooking classes look delicious!

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When you have a talk with another researcher about ethics and it is exciting, and talking about each other's research is also exciting then you know you're an academic 😅

Children's voices are being ignored in family court proceedings. Their wishes, feelings, and experiences are often dismissed or minimized. This is a breach of their human rights and must be addressed. Children deserve to be heard and taken seriously. #ChildrenFirst

Through my #PhDResearch on women's experiences of #economicabuse in #Scotland, the research participants & I co-developed the post-separation economic abuse wheel. The wheel captures the women's experiences of economic abuse after separating. It's available for download here: shorturl.at/5dtMP

Can I also suggest SHERA please? bsky.app/profile/sher...

I'm a researcher from and living in North Scotland. My current research is investigatiny children's experiences of being subject of orders of the courts and how that impacts them both in childhood and adulthood.

I've added you now

This research formed part of my Masters degree. 11/11

Only 12.3% of respondents felt that they were not viewed more critically by judiciary for acting outwith stereotypical gender roles. /10

Respondents felt their gender had an impact on judicial orders. They felt that they were viewed more harshly for acting outwith gender roles. This was not due to negative attachment style or negative relationship evaluations but genuine subjective experiences of bias. /9

There was also no correlation between gender based discrimination and anxious or avoidant attachment styles, and no correlation between perceived discrimination and anxious or avoidant attachment styles. /8

What happened when I controlled for negative attachment styles, and also considered gender role stereotyping and stereotype threat?The majority of respondents felt they were viewed more harshly and the other party more favourably due to acting outwith stereptypical gender roles/7