Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice

Make parent alienation a criminal offence

Closed 170 signatures

What the petition asks

The Government should make it a criminal offence for parents to prevent access to children unless there is a good reason, such as child abuse.
Too many parents suffer from this once relationships break down, and access to a child is restricted. This affects both the child’s and parent’s mental health. Currently options for resolving child contact issues are too slow. Making this a criminal offence should help prevent access to children from being restricted, and enable police to take action when this does happen.

Timeline

18 Oct 2021 Petition opened for signatures
18 Apr 2022 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 170
Status Closed
Department Ministry of Justice
Opened 18 Oct 2021
Closed 18 Apr 2022

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.