How can you prove parental alienation?

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Parental alienation is when one parent uses manipulation and negative behaviours to turn a child against a parent. The aim is to damage the childs relationship with the other parent.

Proving parental alienation requires robust evidence that can be substantiated. This guide will help you gather all the evidence you will need.

Keep a detailed log of all interactions with your child and the other parent with dates, times, and descriptions of incidents where you suspect alienation is taking place. This should include all the times contact was denied, negative comments, or sudden changes in your childs attitude toward you.

Save all relevant correspondence, including texts, emails, and voicemails, especially those that show hostility, manipulation, or obstruction of contact.

Ask family members, friends, teachers or medical professionals who have witnessed alienating behaviours or heard negative comments to provide written statements.

If necessary, request a court order for a professional evaluation. This can be carried out by a CAFCASS report or a psychological assessment.

Obtain records from your childs school that may indicate any concerns by the school, patterns of anxiety, behavioural changes, or a significant decline in educational performance.

Check social media posts for any evidence that demonstrate alienating, negative or disparaging comments or behaviours by the other parent. If any exist take clear screenshots of the posts.

Should grandparents have automatic legal rights?

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At present grandparents do not have automatic legal rights if they are prevented from seeing their grandchildren. If they wish to apply for a Child Arrangements Order, they must first seek permission from the court to make the application.

In deciding whether to grant permission a court will consider the grandparents connection and history of involvement with the child, and the childs best interests.

It is argued the existing legal framework balances the ability of grandparents to seek legal recourse, against the rights and responsibilities of parents.

Are child maintenance and contact to a child connected?

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The issues of child maintenance and contact to a child are legally separate issues in England and Wales, and are not directly connected. Not seeing your child does not remove the requirement to pay maintenance. Conversely, the non-payment of child maintenance should not allow contact to be withheld or denied.

If a parent wants to see their child, they must make separate arrangements with the other parent or if contact is being denied, they must apply to the Court for a Child Arrangements Order. If the child spends a significant amount of time with the paying parent, this can reduce the amount paid to reflect the costs incurred during those stays.

What is maintenance pending suit?

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Maintenance pending suit, also known as interim maintenance or interim periodical payments, is a form of temporary financial support provided to one party during divorce or dissolution proceedings.

The main purpose is to ensure that the financially weaker party can meet their everyday living needs (such as the mortgage) pending a final financial settlement being reached.

A court can order maintenance pending suit when one spouse stops contributing towards the mortgage, and there is an immediate need, and the person claiming is unable to meet that need themselves.

Does a father have a legal right to know where their child lives?

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A father with parental responsibility has a legal right to be involved in important aspects of their childs life, including to be informed of the address where the child is living, and details about the living arrangements.

Parental responsibility entitles a father to be informed about other areas of the child’s life, such as their health, education, and major decisions concerning the child.

There are some exceptions where this information may be withheld. This could include if disclosing the child’s address could put the child or the other parent at risk such as in cases of domestic violence or abuse. In those cases, a court may restrict this right in order to protect the child’s welfare.

How are assets commonly hidden in divorce?

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The usual methods of hiding assets in divorce that a person should look out for include:

A large unexplained withdrawal or a series of withdrawals usually indicates the opening of an undisclosed secret bank account, or the hoarding of cash.

Another commonly used strategy is to transfer money, property or valuable items to friends or relatives under the guise of gifts or repayment of monies previously borrowed.

The creation of fake debts to reduce the net value of assets.

Investing in untraceable assets such as cryptocurrencies or other digital currencies. As these assets are relatively anonymous, it can make it difficult (but not impossible) to trace during financial disclosure.

Converting funds into physical assets like art, watches or antiques and then storing them in undisclosed locations or safety deposit boxes until the proceedings have ended.

Transferring assets into business entities, ventures or creating a trust is another common tactic to hide assets.

Delaying the payment of income, commission, or bonuses until after the divorce is finalised.

The intentional undervaluing of assets can artificially reduce the value of the assets available for division.

The above tactics are often used in combination and can be difficult to detect without the use of professional help, such as forensic accountants or experts in blockchain analysis.

Tips for parallel parenting with a narcissist.

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Document everything in writing from methods of communication, pick-up and drop-off times, meeting locations, and protocols for all handovers.

Treat your relationship with your co-parent like a business arrangementkeep interactions strictly about the child and avoid sharing personal information.

Establish clear rules for communication, and communicate only when necessary. Use specific platforms like email, text messages, or co-parenting apps to reduce confusion and disagreements.

Keep school-related interactions separate, including attending events or parent-teacher meetings at different times to avoid conflicts.

Maintain a child-centred approach, ensuring that all decisions and interactions prioritise the well-being and best interests of the child.

Do not let the narcissist provoke you or draw you into conflict. Expect the narcissist to try to bend or break the rules. Limit this by developing a comprehensive parenting plan that covers all aspects of co-parenting.

 

What is a relationship contract?

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A relationship contract is a broader term that can encompass various types of agreements. These can include Cohabitation, Prenuptial, Postnuptial, and Separation Agreements.

A Relationship contract can cover a wide range of aspects within a relationship beyond finances and living arrangements. They can be used to clarify and define expectations. They can cover aspects like personal needs, core values, boundaries and expectations within the relationship, how conflicts will be resolved, and conditions for ending the relationship. 

What are my rights if living together but not married?

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If a couple live together rather than get married or enter into a civil partnership, the current law treats an unmarried couple as two unrelated individuals. Neither party will be entitled to any financial support or a share in the others assets if the relationship ends.

Unmarried couples have no automatic inheritance rights or claims to their partners pension on death. Therefore, if one partner dies without a Will, the surviving partner has no automatic right to inherit their estate.

An unmarried partner is not automatically considered a next-of-kin in medical situations.

Even if an unmarried couple live together in a home owned by one party, the other party does not automatically have any rights to that property.

An unmarried partner does not have any rights to claim maintenance for themselves. They may however be able to claim child maintenance, if they have children together.

What is an electronic bundle?

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An electronic bundle (often called an e-bundle) is a digital compilation of documents prepared for use in court proceedings. Instead of being presented as a physical file or bundle, all the case documents are sequentially numbered and organised in an indexed electronic format – usually as a single PDF file.

Electronic bundles are designed to streamline a legal process by making it easier for Judges, lawyers, and parties to access, search, and reference case documents efficientlywhether in-person or during remote hearings.

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The Family Law Specialists is the trading name of The Family Law Specialists Limited, a private limited company registered in England & Wales under company number 15318261 with the registered office at, 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. We do not accept service of proceedings. © The Family Law Specialists. All rights reserved.

This website is not intended to offer legal advice so do not act upon any of its content without taking specific advice.

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