“The parental alienation syndrome (PAS) is a childhood disorder that arises almost exclusively in the context of child-custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child’s campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) parent’s indoctrinations and the child’s own contributions to the vilification of the target parent. When true parental abuse and/or neglect is present, the child’s animosity may be justified and so the parental alienation syndrome explanation for the child’s hostility is not applicable.”

'the professionals involved were ready to accept the excuses of the primary carer and abuser' - and - 'too often it seemed that too much time was spent deferring to the needs of the resident parent and not enough time spent on protecting vulnerable and defenceless children'.