Parental Alienation Research Report and Policy Paper

The Justice Plan 2023 and the Family Justice Strategy 2022-2025 both contain a commitment to make recommendations to address the topic of parental alienation, which may be described, very generally as:

• a process through which a child becomes estranged from a parent as a result of the psychological manipulation of the other parent, or;
• situations where one parent is wrongfully influencing their child or children against the other parent.

In order to enhance understanding of this complex issue, the Department of Justice commissioned research into the area in 2021. The Research Report can be found below.

An Open consultation on Parental Alienationwas also held in May 2022, which presented an opportunity for individuals and organisations to offer their views on parental alienation. Over 450 responses were received.

Following analysis and consideration of both the research and consultation findings, the Department produced a policy paper (Parental Alienation - Policy Paper ) outlining how to address the matter.

Further details can be found here: Parental Alienation