As the momentum builds towards the European Association of Parental Alienation Practitioners Conference in London at the end of this month, the range of delegates attending increases in numbers and scope.  As we approach 300 hundred delegates over two days,  the issue of parental alienation is clearly no longer a confusion of tongues, but one which is accepted and acknowledged as being a serious issue for children in families of divorce and separation in Europe.  We are now planning the final schedule for the conference delivery, in order to make maximum impact both at the conference itself and beyond.

The purpose of the conference is primarily to launch the new membership organisation EAPAP, which will regulate practice in the field of parental alienation.  It is also to build consensus about the work which is being done around the world to address the issue of children’s rejection of a parent after separation and demonstrate the effective interventions which assist families.  With our partners in fourteen countries in Europe, we are building the new road to resolving the problem of parental alienation.  And all without veering away from any of the principles which have been developed through the intensive and sustained work of our esteemed colleagues around the world.

The conference is dialogical in nature, which means that there will be a high level of interactivity throughout the two day event.  We want to hear from and discuss with families affected by parental alienation, those things which we know contribute to the onset of the problem.  During the two days we will debate the problem of lack of training in social work and family court services across Europe as well as consider how the issue of parental alienation is one which belongs in the mental health arena and not that of parental rights.

We have already begun our consultation with parents by launching our survey of families affected by parental alienation.  You can help to inform us by completing the survey here and by sharing it far and wide.  We have already had a remarkable response to this request and we will share the results of this in the conference paper which will inform our debates over the two days.

The conference is attracting a great deal of attention in Europe and we are preparing to welcome delegates from a wide range of organisations, including the United Nations.  The conference is also attracting attention from further afield too, with delegates from Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, Canada and New Zealand travelling to be with us.  This signals the reality that the issue of parental alienation is of increasing interest around the world.

It is time now for us to draw upon the wisdom and strength of all of those who have gone before us in this struggle to bring the reality of how some children of divorce and separation suffer significant emotional harm.  In doing so we acknowledge our deepest respect for those who worked tirelessly against the tide during all of the years when this issue was dismissed and those doing this work were denigrated.  Just as all issues which rise to public consciousness were once ignored and then embraced, the harm done to children who are forced to choose to lose a parent after family separation, is finally achieving the recognition it deserves.  Leading to the place where the formal adoption of standards of understanding and practice which can be shared around the world, is now possible.

This is our task and in partnership with families affected by it, our intention is to provide transparency in practice with families, which draws upon the work of all of the expertise in the world in this arena.  Expertise which will be shared at the conference by the world’s leading authorities in this field.  Expertise which draws upon the experience of the parents and grandparents and wider family members who are affected by the problem.  Expert researchers and practitioners, together in dialogue with policy makers and parents, this conference shapes the future for all work in this field from now on.

No more will there be a confusion of tongues on the issue of parental alienation in Europe.  The days they heard about it and came to discuss and do something about it, are finally here.

 

Tickets for professionals to attend  the EAPAP Conference 2018 are now reaching capacity but we still have some left and they can still be purchased here

We are now down to our last handful of tickets for parents, if you wish to attend you must email us now at office@eapap.eu

Please note that if you have been sent an invoice to attend as part of our parent panel, you must pay this by August 12th otherwise your ticket will be released for sale to other parents.

Please help to shape services to parents and wider family members in Europe and around the world by completing our survey here.