How Slow Family Courts Steal Time from Parents and Children.

Every year, over 100,000 children in the UK face prolonged waits in family courts.

Cases that should take around 26 weeks often stretch to nearly a year or more.

Some children wait two years or longer for decisions that affect their futures.

For 35% of alienated parents, this means not seeing their children for over five years.

These numbers reveal more than just statistics—they show the vast amounts of time lost, time that children and parents can never get back.

This article explores how slow and outdated family court processes cause deep harm to families, why time matters so much, and what these delays mean for the lives caught in the system.

If you are a parent currently going through family court, it is important that you join PAPA Plus and make use of our courses and other resources, including PAPA AI.

If you require direct assistance with your case, you can also book a call or one of our family law workshops with PAPA as a 'Plus' member. 

How Family Court Delays Affect Children’s Lives

Time is a critical factor in a child’s development.

When family court cases drag on, children face uncertainty and instability during crucial years.

Waiting months or years for decisions about custody, contact, or care disrupts their emotional well-being and sense of security.

Children stuck in court delays often experience:

• Emotional distress caused by ongoing conflict and lack of resolution

• Interrupted relationships with parents or siblings due to unclear arrangements

• Missed opportunities for stable schooling, healthcare, and social support

  
  

For example, a child waiting nearly two years for a custody decision may struggle with anxiety and confusion, unsure where they belong or who will care for them.

This uncertainty can affect their behaviour, school performance, and mental health.

The Impact on Alienated Parents

Alienated parents—those cut off from their children due to conflict or court decisions—lose precious time that cannot be replaced.

When 35% of these parents have not seen their children in over five years, the damage goes beyond legal outcomes.

The lost time means:

• Weakened bonds that are difficult to rebuild later

• Emotional pain from separation and lack of contact

• Missed milestones like birthdays, school events, and everyday moments

  
  

Thousands of parents share in the PAPA support spaces; how years of court delays mean they miss watching their children grow up.

The slow process leaves them feeling powerless and disconnected, with often no clear path to restore their relationships.

Why the Family Court System Struggles with Delays

Several factors contribute to the slow pace of family court cases:

• High caseloads overwhelm judges and court staff

• Complex cases involving multiple parties and legal issues

• Limited resources for mediation and alternative dispute resolution

• Outdated procedures that rely heavily on paperwork and in-person hearings

  
  

These challenges create bottlenecks, pushing cases beyond the intended 26-week timeframe.

The system’s inability to keep up means families wait longer, increasing stress and uncertainty.

Time Lost Cannot Be Recovered

Each statistic about delays measures time lost—time children cannot reclaim and time parents cannot replay.

This lost time shapes lives in profound ways:

• Children miss years of stability and nurturing

• Parents lose chances to build or repair relationships

• Families face ongoing conflict without resolution

  
  

The court system’s delays do not just affect legal outcomes; they influence the emotional and social fabric of families.

The longer the wait, the greater the risk of lasting harm.

What Can Be Done to Reduce Delays and Protect Families

Addressing these delays requires changes at multiple levels:

• Increasing court resources to handle caseloads more efficiently

• Expanding mediation services to resolve disputes outside court

• Modernising procedures with digital tools to speed up paperwork and hearings

• Prioritising cases involving children’s welfare to reduce wait times

  
  

For example, some local courts have introduced virtual hearings and online document submissions, cutting down delays significantly.

Wider adoption of such measures could help families get timely decisions and reduce the emotional toll.

Support the PAPA Lost Years Campaign to help us advocate for a better and fairer family court system, that protects children and their relationships.

Supporting Children and Parents During Delays

While systemic changes take time, families need support now.

Practical steps include:

• Access to counselling and mental health services for children and parents

• Clear communication from courts about case progress and timelines

• Support groups like PAPA, for alienated parents to share experiences and advice

• Legal aid and advocacy to help families navigate the system

  
  

These measures can ease the burden of waiting and help families cope with uncertainty.

The Human Cost Behind the Numbers

Behind every statistic is a child missing out on years of childhood and a parent longing for connection.

The slow family court process steals time that shapes futures.

It is not just a legal issue but a deeply human one.

Recognising the true cost of delays means pushing for reforms that put children’s needs first and respect the precious time families have together.

In need of help or support?

If you are an alienated parent reading this article and feel you are in need of help and support then please make sure to join PAPA today by signing up here on our website.

This will give you access to our community support forum as well as our Resource Centre, which includes downloadable guides and on-demand courses to help through the process of being alienated and regaining contact with your children.

We also have our Facebook support group that you can join here.

Our Facebook support group has several dedicated chat rooms where you can get immediate support.

If you are a member of PAPA you can also send us a message here on the website and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible but please bear in mind, we have hundreds of messages weekly so it may take us a while to get back to you.

We are currently prioritising PAPA Plus members due to high demand.

Regardless of circumstance you are not alone and at PAPA we are here to support you.

Become a PAPA Ambassador

If you like our resources, articles and support networks and agree with what we stand for then why not get involved and help us push PAPA further by joining our Ambassador Program?

We would love for you to join us and help spread awareness for parental alienation and all of the dynamics involved so that we can continue to help parents and children towards a better future.

Our Ambassador Program allows you to grow your involvement with the cause by earning points on your membership.

To earn points we have created rewards for actions such as completing one of our courses, booking a case review, or ordering supply.

We will be adding new rewards and actions to our Ambassador Program as we continue to grow our awareness efforts.

We want our members to feel rewarded for their support as we continue to look for new ways to improve the lives of those impacted by parental alienation.

You can also become a PAPA Plus member, which will give you exclusive access to even more help and resources.

Each PAPA Plus membership makes a huge difference to the cause as it really helps us to improve our services and our awareness campaigns.

Proceeds from memberships and supply allow us to push the cause much further towards raising awareness and improving our services and resources so that we can continue to help more and more parents and children.

Thank you for reading and for your continued support of PAPA and our mission to end parental alienation.