Since 1979, when one person, Peg English, put an advertisement in The Guardian asking to meet other mothers apart from their children in London, MATCH quickly became a self-help organisation, and informal groups sprang up all over the UK.

Since then MATCH has supported hundreds of mothers after their children have been taken into care, adopted, fostered, abducted abroad or alienated from them after high-conflict divorce. Many, after court battles for equal parenting rights, become Non-Resident Parents, losing all contact with children after a short time when vindictive ex-partners alienate children against them. Most MATCH Members have not seen their children for years. A legacy of this is unresolved mental health issues.

MATCH offers non-judgemental emotional support to mothers apart from their children in a wide variety of circumstances (see Complex Reasons). Sometimes separations last for months or years, sometimes forever.

I walked out of an abusive marriage in 1990 but still lived nearby and we shared the children. This worked well for a year until their father moved back to our hometown and the kids wanted to go back, too. I can’t write any more of this, it still hurts too much.

My violent, abusive ex-husband drove me out of town. I tried to settle the children with me but they missed school/friends and with no family support of my own, I felt it was for the best to return them. This is the biggest regret of my life. I have been apart for 8 years. They are now 22, 21 and 18.

I left taking B with me. I suggested a shared arrangement as this would be best for B but ex applied for Residence and got it. Hence the alienation began and continued and continued and continued until late 1999 when I could not cope anymore and made the decision to let B go with his dad and new family. I’ve tried to gain contact (B is nearly 11 years old). I’m back on the treadmill, alienation continues, contact is non-existent.