FamilyBarrister Jason Hadden MBE interviews Dr Adrienne Barnett on domestic abuse & the family court

When domestic abuse is treated as a relationship problem that ends at separation, the family court can become a tool for continuing control. Family barrister Jason Hadden and researcher Dr. Adrienne Barnett examine what the system misses, from coercive control and economic abuse to parental alienation allegations and child removals.Dr. Barnett, a leading academic on domestic abuse and family law, explains why leaving can be the most dangerous moment for a victim, how children become the route through which post-separation abuse continues, and why conduct that looks like “bad parenting” may actually be part of a deliberate pattern of coercion. Jason adds the perspective of a barrister who sees these dynamics unfold in court every day.Together, they break down: Why Practice Direction 12J has failed to produce consistent, system-wide change How harassment, threatening messages, handover disputes, financial control and the manipulation of children can continue long after a relationship ends Why economic abuse, including extreme control over everyday spending, is still routinely overlooked How allegations of parental alienation are frequently raised in response to domestic abuse allegations The dangers of a pro-contact culture and the proposed repeal of the presumption of parental involvement What litigation abuse looks like when the family court becomes a battleground Why child removals based on alleged alienation can represent a devastating and largely unresearched leap in the dark How the Pathfinder and “child-focused” court reforms could improve efficiency while failing to identify domestic abuse Dr. Barnett also discusses the evidence behind coercive control, the impact of domestic abuse on children as victims in their own right, the gaps in professional understanding of child sexual abuse, and why better training alone will not fix a culture that prioritises contact at all costs.For parents facing family court proceedings, lawyers, social workers, magistrates and anyone trying to understand how domestic abuse is handled in England and Wales, this is an urgent and deeply revealing conversation about what meaningful reform would require.