Coercive control — what it is and how the family court handles it

REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-08-30

Coercive control is the pattern of behaviour — isolation, monitoring, threats, rules, micro-regulation of daily life — that defines many abusive relationships, with or without physical violence. It is a criminal offence and, since the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, it sits at the heart of the statutory definition of domestic abuse that family courts apply. This guide explains what it is and how it's treated in family proceedings. It is general information, not legal advice.

The legal picture

Criminal offence: controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship (Serious Crime Act 2015, section 76) — a pattern of acts designed to make the victim dependent, subordinate, or controlled, carried out on at least two occasions. Conviction can mean imprisonment
Civil/statutory definition: the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 names "controlling or coercive behaviour" as domestic abuse in section 1 — this is the definition used by the family procedure rules, the MIAM exemption rules and Practice Direction 12J
A child who sees or hears coercive control of another person is treated as a victim in their own right (DAA 2021, section 3)

Common patterns

Isolation: cutting the victim off from friends, family, work
Monitoring: checking phones, demanding locations, installing trackers
Rules and "reasonable requests" that accumulate: what to wear, when to be home, what to spend
Threats: to take the children, to report the victim to authorities, to self-harm, to expose secrets
Micro-regulation of money: the economic dimension (see our economic abuse guide)
Post-separation control: using contact handovers, court applications, and doorstop visits to keep control after separation

Why coercive control matters in family court

1. It reframes "high conflict". Cases that present as mutual arguing are often, on examination, one party controlling the other. Practice Direction 12J requires the court to consider whether alleged behaviour amounts to domestic abuse — including coercive control — before treating a case as a straightforward arrangements dispute.

2. Fact-finding hearings. Where coercive control is alleged, the court must consider whether to hold a fact-finding hearing to determine what happened before deciding arrangements. Coercive control is proven through pattern evidence: a chronology of many small incidents that together show control.

3. Contact design. Where control is established, arrangements must be designed so that contact cannot be used to continue abuse — supervised contact, supported handovers, indirect contact, or no direct contact where necessary.

4. Litigation as control. Repeated court applications, non-compliance designed to prolong proceedings, and refusing to return children are recognised as continuation of coercive control by legal means — grounds for s.91(14) barring orders under Practice Direction 12Q.

5. Parental alienation counter-allegations. Courts are alert to the dynamic where a parent controlling the other alleges that the children's justified resistance is "alienation". Justified reluctance grounded in a parent's own coercive behaviour is not alienation.

Presenting coercive control as evidence

Because it's a pattern, not an incident, evidence must show the course of conduct:

1. Build a chronology — dates, what happened, what it prevented you from doing 2. Preserve the record — messages, emails, tracker alerts, witness observations, police logs, GP notes 3. Describe effects, not just acts — isolation from family, job loss, dependence; the pattern's purpose and impact 4. Use the statutory language — name it as controlling or coercive behaviour in your C1A and statements, referencing the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 definition 5. Ask the court to apply PD12J at the first hearing and to consider a fact-finding hearing proportionate to the allegations

Support

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (24/7, free)
Victim Support and local domestic abuse services (IDVAs)
Support Through Court — help navigating proceedings
Report to police — coercive control is a crime in its own right

Official links

YourFamilyCase.co.uk is an independent information directory — we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to MoJ, HMCTS, the police, or gov.uk. This page is general information and is not legal advice.

Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.