Is the fight for a child over? The Ministry of Justice is preparing a “Parental Package”

A child is not property. A child is a person whose well-being must stand above the parents' conflict. That is why, in the Ministry of Justice, we are preparing the “Parental Package”, which introduces shared custody as a standard – wrote the head of the Ministry of Justice, Waldemar Żurek, on Saturday evening.

The entry of the Minister of Justice on the X platform was published on the occasion of the Parental Alienation Awareness Day celebrated on April 25. It is defined as conscious or unconscious actions of one parent that lead to the child's isolation and reluctance towards the other parent – the alienated one. This term most often appears in the context of conflicts accompanying divorces and separations of parents.

“On this occasion, it is worth remembering: a child is not property. A child is a person whose well-being must stand above the parents' conflict,” emphasized Minister Żurek.

He recalled that this is why the “Parental Package” is being prepared at the Ministry of Justice, which introduces shared custody as a standard intended to end “the painful division into 'winners' and 'losers' of difficult court cases.”

“This is the implementation of the child's right to be raised by both parents, but never at the expense of the safety of the youngest,” Żurek noted.

He added that the ministry's activities also focus “on strengthening the competences of judges to accurately distinguish between alienation and protection against trauma.” “The reform is not an automaton. It is a signpost that instructs the courts to seek an agreement, but always taking into account the specific situation of a given family,” wrote the head of the Ministry of Justice.

Minister Żurek informed at the beginning of this year that the Ministry of Justice is working on the “Parental Package”. It is to include three key acts. The first one is to introduce shared custody – also known as alternating custody – 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 act is intended to provide for real and quick consequences for persistent violations of judgments regarding contact with children, and the third is to improve the execution of judgments in family matters.

The first of the projects – regarding shared care – was entered into the list of legislative works on December 16, 2025. The planned date of adoption of the project by the government was the third quarter of this year.

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