Right to Love is concerned that the government and the domestic abuse lobby seek to remove the presumption of parental involvement in their child’s life after parents separate. This of course applies primarily to private law cases but may also have impacts on public law cases.
This will impact every parent in the UK should their relationship end. Going through family court is a stressful experience already, let alone having to start from a place where your ability to be a parent is called into question immediately.
The current guidelines already have provision to stop contact with parents where there is evidence or risk that their behaviours have met, or could meet the threshold for “significant harm”. The skill/experience/qualification for professionals who make such decisions is a completely different issue. One that the general public, most of whom are good-enough parents, should not have to suffer for. Many of you know good parents who have been denied contact with their children. Some of you will know abusive parents who have also been denied contact with their children. We know mistakes are made, but the issue is it is the wrong system and there is a lack of assessment, treatment and monitoring by competent professionals. The issue is not with the presumption of involvement itself.
In addition, professionals in the attachment community have already warned of the Effect of Separation from Parents on Children [2023] and cause further attachment trauma.
We ask all parents who are also concerned about this issue to email their MP. Thank you.
Step 1
Find your MP’s email address here
Step 2
Create a new email from your own device and add their email to the “To” section.
Step 3
In the subject add the text “Concerns Re. Removal of Presumption of Parental Involvement in Child Arrangements”
Step 4
Paste the following into the body of the email and take care to add in the MP’s name and your own details at the bottom. Then send the email
Dear [Insert your MP’s name],
Concerns Re. Removal of Presumption of Parental Involvement in Child Arrangements
The government, in collaboration with the domestic abuse lobby, seek to remove the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989 in relation to child arrangements after parents separate.
Their intent is to immediately stop an alleged abusive parent from having contact with their child. On the surface it sounds like a good aim but I’m concerned such a change would:
- Go against attachment theory and cause children and parents harm. I do not know what engagement the government has had with professionals in the attachment community but the paper The Effect of Separation from Parents on Children [2023] and the book Raising Parents may provide vital information and inspiration to get better outcomes for children.
- Create fear for parents, and therefore, likely to generate more conflict at a time when they, and their children will already be under significant stress.
- Cause longer delays re-establishing contact between a good-enough parent/child where false allegations have been made, by which time significant harm may have occurred.
- Widen inconsistency with public law cases where parents are given the opportunity to change in cases where abuse has been confirmed. It is in the child’s best interests to support parents to become better parents with appropriate consideration to the risks, parental capacity for change and appropriate monitoring if needed.
The current provision to assume contact is in the best interests of the child, unless proved otherwise, appears more in line with attachment theory and the child’s human right to a relationship with both parents.
This matter will be of concern to most, if not all parents in the UK. I urge you to consider these points and reject amending the Child Protection Act 1989 to remove the presumption of parental involvement.
Yours sincerely,
[Insert your name]
[Insert your address]
[Insert your phone number]