Kate Kniveton

Kate Kniveton - survivor of domestic abuse and post separation abuse perpetrated through the UK family court. 

We at PEEPSA are so proud to announce our first patron Kate kniveton.

Kate is a dedicated campaigner and former British MP, recognized for her unwavering commitment to reforming the family court system and protecting victims of domestic abuse. As a new patron, Kate continues to leverage her experience and personal journey to raise awareness about the systemic challenges faced by victims, particularly in navigating the complexities of family law.

In addition to her campaign work, Kate hosted the powerful documentary "Breaking the Silence," which aimed to shed light on the struggles faced by victims within the family court system. Through this platform, she has brought important attention to the need for reform and has given a voice to those often silenced by the system.

With over 30 years of experience in politics, logistics, and marketing, Kate has channeled her expertise into advocating for changes that prioritize the safety and rights of victims and children. Her personal story, marked by resilience and strength, serves as both a beacon of hope for survivors and a a crucial voice for all those who have been silenced.

In her role as a patron, Kate is poised to amplify her efforts in fighting for meaningful reform within the family court system. She is dedicated to ensuring that the voices of victims are heard, respected, and translated into tangible change. Through her campaigning, Kate inspires countless individuals to join the movement for justice, transparency, and equality in family law, making substantial strides toward a safer future for all.

Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno is the Director and Founder of SHERA and SHERA's Research and Development Lead.

Elizabeth has worked in public and private health and social care for over 20 years and specialises in challenging inequalities and systemic challenges in health and social care. Her work centres always around vulnerable and/or marginalised groups. She is a staunch advocate of co-designed, developed and conducted research, where research is undertaken by and with the people it concerns, rather than 'on' them.

She teaches Global Women's Health and Health System Challenges in Low and Middle-Income Countries, through a complex adaptive system (CAS) lens, on the Master's in Public Health at The University of Manchester (amongst other roles) and has special interests in adult social care, the health and trauma impacts and experiences of women and children who are victim-survivors of abuse, family court experiences and health impacts, gender-based violence, domestic abuse/violence, coercive control and post-separation abuse.

She provides training and consultation to schools, domestic abuse organisations, local authorities, health and social care services and other interested groups.

Her work with the SHERA group - in partnership with UCL, Brunel University, Durham University, CPI Voz Materna and The Survivor Family Network - on women and child victims health experiences of family court and the harmful pseudoscience of so-called 'parental alienation', has featured in a documentary 'Mums on the Run' on the BBC iplayer, BBC News, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Woman's Hour, Times Radio.

Her work also features in The Daily Mail and the Telegraph. 

Her work has been presented globally, including to the French Secretary of State for Children and the 53rd United Nations Human Rights Council.

Her work also features within the United Nations Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences report to the Human Rights Council on: Custody, violence against women and violence against children.

She has worked on several National Institute of Health and Care Research projects.

She has led projects for the NHS to develop best practice in learning from adverse events / incidents and advises domestic abuse organisations, global sexual health organisations, NHS organisations and pilot studies such as IRISi ADViSE regarding gender-based violence and domestic abuse/violence.

She is currently advising on evaluating the Greater Manchester IRISi ADViSE pilot. The ADViSE (Assessing for Domestic Violence and Abuse in Sexual Health Environments) programme supports sexual health clinicians to identify and respond to women affected by domestic violence and abuse (DVA) and provides them with a simple referral pathway to specialist services.

She is leading several projects currently including: exploring the impact of Covid-19 on patients, families and professionals, exploring the impact of Covid-19 on informal carers and people living with dementia and exploring the mental health impact of family court proceedings on mothers exposed to perpetrator abusive behaviours / domestic abuse/violence in the UK and Brazil.

She is an ambassador to Right to Equality, a project team member at FiLiA Hague Mothers, a member of the Safe in Faith Committee and the National Board of Catholic Women VAWG Committee.

Articles by 

Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno

November 24, 2024

Failed by the Family Court

Articles

Failed by the Family Court

Family Court failures

February 6, 2024

New paper: Health-related experiences of family court and domestic abuse in England: A looming public health crisis

Current Research

New paper: Health-related experiences of family court and domestic abuse in England: A looming public health crisis

Health-related experiences of family court and domestic abuse in England: A looming public health crisis

Selina is currently studying at Cambridge University, completing a post graduate qualification in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy. With this in mid, Selina has substantially cut back on 1:1 work. 

Selina informed me that where she has capacity she will endeavour to answer messages on her Teenage and Mental Health Instagram Support Page.

https://www.instagram.com/childandteenage_mentalhealth?igsi=MWFqcHVub2QyYW1pNA==

Selina Bodycombe-Jones 

"I am a psychologist, educator, and survivor. My work is grounded in both professional expertise and lived experience, with a strong commitment to supporting survivors and their children to move forward safely and at their own pace.

I hold a Master’s degree in Psychology (Distinction) and a Master’s degree in Educational Practice, and have experience across educational, research, and clinical psychology. I work therapeutically with children and young people, supporting them with tools and strategies to manage stress, anxiety, and trauma. This work is therapeutic in nature but is not formal clinical therapy. I also facilitate anxiety support groups for children and their parents. I also have a background in working with EBSA (emotional based school avoidance) children and neurodivergent children of all ages. 

My training includes being a trauma-informed practitioner, CBT for self-esteem through the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre, Level 2 domestic abuse training with Threshold, enabling me to work directly with survivors. I have worked within the Neurodevelopmental Unit at Cardiff University’s Psychology Department and I deliver training on coercive control and post-separation abuse. I also share my own survivor story to educate, challenge harmful narratives, and advocate for safer, more informed responses to abuse."

Jemma Ireland is a domestic abuse and post-separation abuse survivor, campaigner and the founder of RAINA Advocacy.

Jemma founded RAINA Advocacy following her own lived experience of domestic abuse, post-separation abuse and navigating the family court system. What she experienced gave her first-hand insight into the challenges survivors and their children can face when seeking safety and protection after leaving an abusive relationship.

She has transformed those experiences into determined advocacy for women and children, campaigning for greater accountability, improved child safeguarding and meaningful reform across the family court system, Cafcass and associated services.

Jemma is also committed to raising public awareness of the realities of post-separation abuse and ensuring that survivor voices are heard in conversations about policy, practice and reform.

Her campaigning has included helping to bring survivors together through public action, including the 24-hour vigil outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, highlighting the experiences of mothers and children affected by family court decisions.

As a PEEPSA Ambassador, Jemma brings both lived experience and a powerful commitment to systemic change. Through RAINA Advocacy and her work alongside PEEPSA, she continues to stand with survivors, amplify their voices and campaign for a family court system that puts the safety and wellbeing of women and children at its heart.