Why Family Court Delays Intensify Parental Alienation.

Family court delays have become a growing concern for many parents and children caught in the system.

Lengthy backlogs and slow enforcement of court orders can stretch contact gaps between children and one parent, often intensifying parental alienation.

This article explores how these delays affect families, the consequences for children’s wellbeing, and what can be done to address these challenges.

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. 

The Scale of Family Court Backlogs

The family courts have faced significant backlogs for several years, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and resource constraints.

According to recent Ministry of Justice data, thousands of cases remain unresolved for months or even years.

This delay affects cases involving child arrangements, contact disputes, and enforcement of court orders.

Some key factors contributing to the backlog include:

• Limited court capacity due to fewer judges and court staff

• Increased number of family disputes following societal changes and pandemic stress

• Complexity of cases requiring detailed investigations and reports

• Delays in scheduling hearings and issuing decisions

  
  

These backlogs mean that parents often wait long periods before their cases are heard or enforced, creating uncertainty and tension.

Slow or No Enforcement of Court Orders

Even when courts issue orders regarding child contact, enforcement can be slow or ineffective.

Enforcement mechanisms include court bailiffs, fines, or even imprisonment for non-compliance, but these are rarely used promptly.

Many parents report:

• Delays of several months before enforcement action begins

• Lack of follow-up when contact is denied or obstructed

• Limited resources for monitoring compliance

  
  

This slow enforcement allows contact refusals or disruptions to continue unchecked.

For example, a parent may be denied access to their child for months without any legal consequence for the other parent.

This situation can deepen resentment and mistrust between parents.

How Long Gaps in Contact Affect Children

Extended gaps in contact with one parent can have serious emotional and psychological effects on children.

Research shows that consistent, meaningful contact with both parents supports a child’s development and sense of security.

When contact is disrupted:

• Children may feel confused, anxious, or abandoned

• They can develop loyalty conflicts, feeling pressured to choose sides

• Emotional bonds with the absent parent weaken over time

• The risk of parental alienation increases, where one parent manipulates the child against the other

  
  

For example, a child who goes months without seeing their father may start believing negative messages about him, even if unfounded.

This alienation harms the child’s relationship with that parent and can cause long-term emotional damage.

Parental Alienation and Court Delays

Parental alienation occurs when one parent deliberately or unintentionally undermines the child’s relationship with the other parent.

Court delays and enforcement gaps can worsen this by:

• Allowing alienating behaviours to continue without intervention

• Increasing the child’s exposure to one-sided narratives

• Creating frustration and helplessness in the alienated parent

  
  

The longer the delay, the harder it becomes to repair the relationship.

Courts often rely on evidence of alienation, but delays mean that by the time cases are heard, the damage may be deep-rooted.

Practical Steps to Mitigate the Impact

While systemic change is needed to reduce delays, parents and professionals can take steps to protect children’s wellbeing:

• Use mediation and family support services to resolve disputes outside court

• Keep detailed records of contact attempts and refusals to support enforcement

• Encourage regular communication through phone calls, video chats, or letters during gaps

• Seek advice from experts at PAPA or child psychologists

• Request urgent hearings if contact denial severely affects the child

  
  

These actions can help maintain connections and provide evidence if court intervention becomes necessary.

The Need for Reform and Support

Addressing family court delays requires investment in resources and reforms, such as:

• Increasing the number of family judges and court staff

• Expanding alternative dispute resolution options

• Improving enforcement procedures with clearer timelines

• Providing better support for children caught in disputes

  
  

Some pilot programs have shown promise by speeding up cases and focusing on the child’s best interests.

Wider adoption of such initiatives could reduce the harmful effects of delays.

If you want to help us push for change and reform then please submit your family court experience to the PAPA Family Justice Transparency Report.

We are building the largest ever independent record on family court outcomes and your voice can be part of the data.

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.