NSW Family Law - Fear of the Work Alienation in Courts?

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Shimmyshake

Active Member
18 March 2016
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Just for interest's sake, have a read of this case from the FCC: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCCA/2016/657.html

It's interim only, but gives a good idea of the Court's approach to alienation.


This is scary. It shows who the courts are 'handcuffed' in obvious alienation cases. The fact is that removing an 8 and 10-year-old would cause trauma. On the flip side, trauma is caused to children when they are taught to fear those they love. The Mother here is obviously a severe alienator in my opinion. She hasn't gone to the 'sexual' claims yet because she can't when the kids haven't seen their father.

My thoughts are that these kids should be taken away at Final Trial. They should use a program like Family Bridges in the States. They have intense workshops to reunite 'rejected' parents and their success rate is over 90%. This pussyfooting around with some counselling here and there, while leaving the child with an obvious abuser, is simply flawed and irresponsible.

Check out this workshop

Do we have anyone trained on this in Australia?

Family Bridges: A Workshop for Troubled and Alienated Parent-Child Relationships
 

AllForHer

Well-Known Member
23 July 2014
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I'm inclined to agree with your outlook on this case, but I can also appreciate the delicate position of the Court. Being placed into the care of a man their mother has told them for two years is a danger to them would cause them significant distress and who knows what two young children would do when faced with such an unsettling situation.

The father must be commended for acknowledging the reality of what the kids must be going through with their mother. He isn't seeking immediate overnights or residency or week-about. He's asked for gradual time for them to get to know him again. The unfortunate thing is that the mother will probably use all of the in-between time to reinforce her position on the children, but the Courts are not oblivious. If the mother persists with her vendetta, the Court may find itself with little choice but to change the residency arrangements in the father's favour, since he seems to be the more capable of the two in supporting the kids' relationship with the other parent.

Re: workshops, I can't say I'm aware of any Australian office that specialises in reunification therapy, but as I said earlier in this thread, reform is a very slow-moving machine. I think there's a lot of promise for this becoming a focus for psychologists in Australia in the nearish future, though, so I'm interested to see what happens in the family law space over the next few years.
 

Shimmyshake

Active Member
18 March 2016
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31
On the Family Bridges website (attached above) it states that there are practitioners in Australia.

Anyone know who that might be?