An alliance across divisions for the good of children. The Confederation and the government want changes in family courts

Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek announced the preparation of a package of laws reforming family law, including the introduction of shared custody as a starting point after parents' separation. On Thursday, the Confederation also submitted a parliamentary bill against parental alienation.

The head of the Ministry of Justice announces a parental pact

Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek, in an entry posted on the X platform on Thursday evening, announced the preparation of a comprehensive reform of family law, the aim of which is to prevent unjustified isolation of children from one of their parents and to improve the execution of court decisions in family matters.

“Unjustified isolation causes pain for parents and harm to children. For years, the law in these matters has not kept pace with reality, and court judgments have too often remained without real effects,” he wrote.

As he informed, The Ministry of Justice is working on the so-called parental package, including three key acts. The first one is to introduce shared custody – also known as alternating care – as a starting point after the parents' separation, while maintaining the full rights of both parents and the court assessing each case individually. The second bill does provide for real and quick consequences for persistent violations of contact decisions with the child, and the third one is to improve the execution of judgments in family matters.

Żurek emphasized that the first of the projects – regarding shared custody – was included in the list of legislative works on December 16, 2025.

The minister also referred to the legislative initiative announced by the Confederation, emphasizing that in matters of children “political affiliation does not matter”, what matters is the common goal of protecting the well-being of the child.

On Thursday, non-attached MP Marcin Józefaciuk, chairman of the Parliamentary Group for the Protection of Children in the Process of Family Breakdown, also published his own comment on this matter. As he assessed, For years, the problem of parental alienation was marginalized or described as “invented”, even though – as he emphasized – it concerns real dramas of children and parents.

Józefaciuk announced that he had signed a bill submitted by the Konfederacja club, which is intended to prevent the use of children in adult conflicts. “The child must remain a subject, not a means of pressure in adult disputes,” he wrote, declaring support for the project across political divisions.

The Confederation came up with an idea

A parliamentary bill on counteracting parental alienation was submitted to the Sejm on Thursday. During the press conference, Confederation MPs Przemysław Wipler and Michał Wawer announced this. The project includes, among others: introduction of criminal liability for persistent and repeated prevention of contact with a child and the possibility of reacting also to single violations of court decisions.

According to the authors of the bill, the current provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure do not ensure effective enforcement of judgments in matters of contact with a child. As they argued, the financial sanctions currently used are insufficient and often imposed after many years of proceedings, which does not protect either children or parents.

The MPs' announcements and initiatives are part of a broader debate on the reform of family law.

The project of the Ministry of Justice amending the Family and Guardianship Code and the Code of Civil Procedure, published in the government's list of legislative works on December 16, 2025, envisages introducing the definition of shared custody into Polish law and specifying the rules for adjudicating it after divorce, separation or separation of parents.

According to the assumptions of the project, the court, leaving parental authority to both parents, would entrust them with the day-to-day care of the child alternately, guided by the overriding principle of the child's best interests. When making a decision, the court would take into account, among others: the age and health of the child, the parents' ability to cooperate, their personal situation and the current division of parental responsibilities.

The court will also be able to entrust the exercise of parental authority to one of the parents, limiting the parental authority of the other to specific duties and rights in relation to the child, if this is in the best interest of the child.

The project also provides for procedural changes aimed at concentrating proceedings regarding parental authority and contact with a child before one court and shortening their duration. According to the authors of the regulations, the new solutions are intended to increase the equality of rights and obligations of parents after separation and to limit the negative effects of family breakdown on children.

Mira Suchodolska (PAP)

mir/akar/