Dr Adrienne Barnett, Reader in Law at Brunel University of London and Co-Director of Right to Equality, took part in a significant parliamentary event addressing the dangers children face in the family court system under the current presumption of parental involvement.
The event, held this Tuesday and organised by Dr Marie Tidball MP, saw strong cross-party attendance, with nearly all MPs present raising concerns from their constituents about the harm posed to and enacted against children under current legal frameworks.
The discussion centred on the presumption of parental involvement, a provision integrated into the Children Act in 2014, which has been linked to serious harm and even fatalities of children, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. The charity Women’s Aid and survivor Claire Throssel MBE were in attendance, with Claire sharing the tragic story of her two young sons, Jack and Paul, murdered by their abusive father during court-ordered unsupervised contact. She highlighted how her warnings – and her children’s wishes – were disregarded by the court, which instead prioritised maintaining contact, even in the face of serious safety concerns. She was accused of parental alienation – a concept widely criticised for being used to override domestic abuse allegations, as noted by the Ministry of Justice’s Harm Panel Report, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
Among those in attendance was Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, whose constituent, Sara Sharif, was tragically murdered by her father and stepmother after family courts endorsed young Sara living with them, despite abuse having being raised against her father in the past from numerous sources. The widespread engagement from MPs at the event showcases the gravity of this issue, as well as the growing momentum for change.
Right to Equality, a non-profit dedicated to repealing the presumption of parental involvement, provided MPs with key insights from its 2023 report, which details the harms of the presumption and outlines essential policy recommendations to better safeguard children. Their report, of which Dr Barnett was the lead author, calls for urgent reforms to ensure children’s voices and safety are prioritised, and to protect survivors from unfounded allegations of parental alienation.
Dr Barnett, a leading expert in this field, will continue working closely with MPs and policy-makers, alongside Right to Equality’s Founder and Co-Director Dr Charlotte Proudman and its Policy Lead Lucy Hayton, to advocate for legislative reforms.
Dr Barnett said: “The current statutory presumption of parental involvement elevates parents’ rights to contact over the safety and welfare of the child, leading to serious harm in many of the thousands of cases filed each year in the family courts – and even, in some cases, fatalities. It needs to be replaced with legislation that centres the safety, welfare and voice of the child and safeguards the child’s protective parent.”
Pictured at the event, left to right: Richard Quigley MP, Anneliese Dodds MP, Justin Madders MP, Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, Will Forster MP, Claire Throssel MBE, Dr Marie Tidball MP, Dr Charlotte Proudman, Dr Adrienne Barnett, Dr Rachael Grey, Caroline Voaden MP, Jodie Gosling MP
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