More Children Are Going Into Care — And Family Court Is Part of the Problem

---

Across the country, more children are entering the care system.

This is a growing crisis that too few people talk about — largely because it forces us to confront a harsh reality: Family Courts play a part in this problem, especially in cases involving domestic abuse and coercive control.

What’s really happening?

Far too often, children are taken away from the safe, protective parent — not because that parent is unfit or harmful, but because abusers manipulate the concept of “parental alienation.”

What should protect children from harm is twisted into a weapon for revenge.

The message from abusers is chilling:

“You left me. You broke the cycle. Now, I’m going to make you pay — through your children.”

They know exactly where it hurts the most:-

“Leave me, and you’ll lose the children.”

“If I can’t have you, no one will.”

Shockingly, family courts sometimes enable this abuse by failing to recognise coercive control and emotional abuse for what they are.

The devastating consequences

Protective parents don’t stay in abusive relationships out of weakness. They often do so to shield their children from harm.

But when the abuse escalates to the children themselves, these parents fight for their family’s safety — only to face disbelief and punishment in court.

The result?

Parents are gaslit, silenced, and penalised — while their children are retraumatised, removed, and placed in care.

This is not protection. This is harm.

Why does this happen?

Family courts often operate with a “pro-contact” culture that prioritises parental involvement over child safety — even when clear evidence of abuse exists.

Children are treated as pawns in bitter battles, not vulnerable individuals with rights to safety and stability.

To abusers, children are tools for revenge, not human beings with needs and feelings.

What needs to change?

We urgently need reforms that:-

• Recognise coercive control and emotional abuse as serious harm to children

• Prioritise children’s safety and wishes over misguided parental rights

• Hold abusers accountable rather than enabling manipulation

• Support protective parents instead of punishing them

You are not alone

If you’re a parent caught in this nightmare, know this: you are not alone.

Thousands are fighting the same battle. Together, we can demand a system that truly protects children and families.

The mental health crises in children is growing — and The Family Court System Is part of the problem.

Children’s mental health issues — anxiety, depression, self-harm, behavioural struggles — are rising at an alarming rate. While many factors contribute, one cause often overlooked is the Family Court System.

How does family court harm children’s mental health?

In cases of domestic abuse or parental conflict, family court should be a place of protection. Instead, it often becomes a source of trauma:-

• Children are caught in complex, adversarial battles they don’t understand

• Abuse allegations are dismissed or minimised, leaving children exposed

• Protective parents are disbelieved or punished, creating instability

• Children are removed from safe homes or forced into contact with harmful parents, causing confusion and distress

The impact on children

This trauma can cause:-

• Increased anxiety and depression

• Behavioural difficulties and aggression

• Difficulty trusting adults and forming healthy relationships

• Emotional withdrawal or acting out

• Self-harming behaviours and suicidal thoughts

Why does this happen?

A “pro-contact” bias often prioritises parental involvement over child safety, sidelining children’s voices and overlooking their best interests.

What must change?

• Courts must fully recognise how domestic abuse and coercive control damage children’s mental health.

• Decisions should prioritise children’s safety, stability, and wellbeing above parental rights.

• Trauma-informed support must be embedded in family justice.

• Protective parents must be supported, not punished.

Conclusion

If we want to stop children entering care unnecessarily and improve their mental health, we must confront the family court system’s failures.

Children deserve safety, belief, and healing — not to be trapped in a system that re-traumatised them.

---

Deanna Newell Family Law

Advocacy for truth-tellers, survivors, and the children who deserve better