Review safeguards in family courts to address coercive control, to ensure children’s voices are heard, and prioritise their wellbeing. Improve training, guidance, and use of supervised contact where manipulation or emotional harm is identified.

We believe that children are often not properly heard in family court, leaving them distressed and unheard in decisions affecting their lives. The process can be emotionally damaging, with repeated hearings and forced contact causing long-term harm. When coercive control is overlooked, it can affect a child’s mental health, development, and future relationships. Stronger protections are needed to ensure children’s voices matter and their wellbeing is prioritised.