Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Action Against Child Removal

Action Against Child Removal

Our Action Against Child Removal Campaign is exposing the hidden practice of removing children from their primary carer on the basis of ‘alienation’ allegations. We are calling for reform and redress for children and victims.

Read the survey

In recent years, serious concerns have emerged about decisions made in private family law proceedings in England and Wales, particularly where children are removed from their primary carer. A recurring pattern has been identified in cases involving allegations of domestic abuse or sexual abuse: protective parents, most often mothers, are accused of so‑called “parental alienation” and, in some cases, children are removed from their care as a result.

Right to Equality, in partnership with Survivor Family Network, launched the Child Removal Campaign to address the lack of transparency, accountability, and data surrounding this practice. The campaign begins with the first large‑scale survey of mothers whose children were removed in private law proceedings.

A hidden scandal

Multiple official reports and expert bodies have raised concerns about child removal practices in private family law cases involving abuse allegations:

  • The Harm Panel Report (2020), commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, found that family courts often minimise or dismiss allegations of domestic abuse, while survivors risk being labelled as hostile or alienating.
  • Barnett (2020) and Grey (2023) highlight how the concept of “parental alienation” is frequently invoked in ways that sideline abuse allegations and silence protective parents.
  • The Domestic Abuse Commissioner (2023) raised serious concerns that survivors of abuse may lose custody of their children after disclosing violence.
  • At the international level, the United Nations General Assembly Human Rights Council (2023) warned of the global misuse of “parental alienation” claims to undermine women’s and children’s safety.

  • There is no official or systematic data collection in England and Wales to confirm how widespread the practice is. Without this data, survivors remain invisible, and policymakers can avoid accountability.

  • To address the data gap, Right to Equality partnered with Survivor Family Network to conduct the first large-scale survey of mothers whose children were removed from their care in private law proceedings.

    • National survey of mothers in England and Wales
    • Proceedings since 2014
    • Co-designed with academic experts and those with lived experience
    • Quantitative analysis conducted by Dr Linda Cusworth and Dr Jade Hooper

    The survey reveals concerning patterns around child removal, including the role of parental alienation allegations, limited fact-finding on abuse, and the influence of expert recommendations. While the findings cannot be generalised due to the lack of a known parent population and the self-selecting nature of participants, they provide crucial insight into practices that demand urgent scrutiny.

  • Initial findings from the Child Removal Survey were shared at a parliamentary event in November 2025, bringing together MPs, peers, policymakers, advocates, and survivors to highlight the scale and seriousness of child removal practices in private family law.

    The final report, including qualitative analysis and lived-experience evidence, will be published soon and will inform future policy, legal, and legislative reform.

Consent