In a letter to the Secretary of Justice, Claire Waxman, Commissioner for Victims in London, and a group of MEPs wrote: to any professional body and therefore can not be held accountable “. It comes after the Observer reported warnings from the Association of Clinical Psychologists that unregulated specialists had “suggested inappropriate diagnoses and made recommendations to remove children from their mothers based on these diagnoses”. The letter to Dominic Raab raises concerns about the guidance of uncontrolled experts in cases where there are allegations of “parental alienation” – meaning that a child has rejected one parent for no other reason than that he or she has been psychologically manipulated another parent. Once the “alienation” is found, the child can immediately move away from this parent and cut off all contact. Five lawmakers signed the letter, including the shadow minister for victims and youth justice, Anna McMorin, and the shadow minister for domestic violence, Jess Phillips. Also signed were Tory MPs Caroline Nokes and Robert Halfon and Labor MP Sarah Champion. They highlight concerns that allegations of parental alienation are being used to address allegations of domestic abuse and that children’s real fears of abuse may be “overturned by experts and used as evidence of alienation”. They write: “This in turn means that judges make contact and accommodation arrangements with children based on unfounded advice.” The letter calls on the Ministry of Justice, in co-operation with the Family Division of the Supreme Court, to commit to an “urgent inquiry into the use of parental alienation experts in the family court”. Tory’s peer, Arminka Helic, wrote separately to the Secretary of Justice about her concerns. Halfon, who chairs the education committee, told the Observer: “As a Harlow MP, I have seen some very tragic cases of domestic abuse, but it always seems to me that the family court is the victim rather than the perpetrator. There is one obstacle after another that the victim has to overcome in terms of parental care and access. “Anything that can be done to ensure that the judiciary has a fair and genuine opportunity to restrict parental access from abusers is welcome.” The appeals are backed by 85 academics, lawyers, charitable leaders and health workers who have signed a third letter to Raab. They warn: “There are clear dangers to the public that they may inadvertently hire an unregulated expert and, therefore, have no legal redress if harm is done.” Natalie Page of the Survivor Family Network was among those who signed the letter, along with individuals from organizations such as the Center for Women’s Justice, the Feminist Law Society, Rape Crisis England and Wales, Refuge, Brunel University, University of Suffolk, Equality Now and the Safe Schools Alliance. Page said: “This crisis can only be resolved through a full and honest investigation into the use of specialist psychologists in the family court. “The stakes for victims of abuse could not be higher.” The Joint Guidelines of the Family Justice Council and the British Psychological Society (BPS) state that courts should ‘expect all UK-based psychologists to provide evidence in family proceedings to be regulated by the Council of Health Professionals or and… are registered as members with the BPS ‘. However, within the legal framework, judges may appoint unregulated experts at their discretion. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that it had received the letters and would respond in a timely manner, saying: “The judiciary will thoroughly investigate any allegations of false evidence and the courts have recently issued instructions on the type of expert evidence to be approved.” In October 2021, the President of the Family Division published a note to the court-appointed experts, explaining the principles applied by the family court in England and Wales when considering whether to approve or accept an expert opinion. A spokesman for the judiciary said: “The welfare of the child is paramount and remains at the heart of family court proceedings.”
