National Parents Organization Weekly News Summary

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National Parents Organization improves the lives of children and strengthens society by protecting every child's right to the love and care of both parents after separation or divorce. We seek better lives for children through family court reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers.

Connecticut’s Legislature Votes Unanimously to Reform the Family Court System By Judge Thomas W. Weissmuller, Esq. (Retired), Chair, Executive Committee, National Parents Organization of Connecticut John M. Clapp, PhD, Chair, Shared Parenting Council of Connecticut, Inc. and Member, Executive Committee, National Parents Organization of Connecticut Judge Thomas W. Weissmuller, Esq. (Retired) John M. Clapp, PhD On Friday, April 25, 2014, both houses of Connecticut’s legislature unanimously approved a bill that restricts judges in family court matters. Parent who have been unfairly denied access to their children, given restricted access and bankrupted by the court turned out in large numbers to testify in favor of the legislation. The legislation points towards fundamental changes in Connecticut’s family court system. The bill passed on April 25 deals with technical issues associated with the court appointed Guardians Ad Litem (GALs): Poor training. GALs require only 30 hours of training. No law degree, no study of child behavior, no other experience with children. No accountability. As a practical matter, parents paying the bills could not fire the GAL! And, GALs have immunity from law suits. Some GAL’s had few meetings with children and refused to meet with those intimately involved with the children’s lives. Excessive pay. Hourly rates were reported in the $200-$850 range and some total billings were in excess of $20,000 per year. Parents can be jailed for failure to pay GALs. Read more... Share This Article: Contribute Like and follow us: Shared Parenting... it's Obvious Shared Parenting... it's Obvious David Brasington, Member, Board of Directors, National Parents Organization, shares his thoughts on the importance of shared parenting.

About Us Mission Vision National Parents Organization PO BOX 270760 Boston, Massachusetts 02127-0760 (617) 542-9300 www.NationalParentsOrganization.org Parents@NationalParents Organization.org Information Resources > Share Your Story: Members share stories of their children and families. > Advice: Our most frequently asked questions are posted with answers from experts. > Forms and Documents: Many forms and documents are common to many cases in your state or even across the United States. > Parent To Parent: Your opportunity to share with other parents and with extended family members supporting you and other parents. Establish an Affiliation in Your State National Parents Organization is working to build a strong affiliate in every state. What will it take to bring National Parents Organization to your state? Leadership. It takes a team of volunteers to organize in your state and to reach out to legislators, media, and other groups who will work with us to make shared parenting the norm. If you are ready, please contact Rita Fuerst Adams, National Executive Director. Together we can build an affiliate in your state.   Mom Who Kidnapped Kids Can’t Get Child Support Arrears May 7, 2014 by Robert Franklin, Esq. Just two days ago I posted a piece on Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin’s veto of legislation that shouldn’t have been controversial. Indeed, so non-controversial was it that it had the unanimous support of both houses of the legislature. That’s the kind of support usually reserved for things like Resolutions to Declare Puppies Cute or to designate one day a year Apple Pie Day. Read more... Oklahoma Bill to Enforce Visitation Vetoed by Governor Mary Fallin May 5, 2014 by Robert Franklin, Esq. An amazing thing happened in the Oklahoma legislature this past week. Then something else amazing happened. And then a third. First, the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate passed House Bill 3001 that would have actually given non-custodial parents a bit of power in their post-divorce relationships with their exes. Read more... Los Angeles County: Department of Children and Family Services Holds $9 M Meant for Kids May 4, 2014 by Robert Franklin, Esq. Not long ago, I posted here and here and here about the system-wide dysfunction in the child welfare organizations in California. The problems generally amount to caseworkers either ignoring children obviously at risk of injury or overspending resources on parents who are fit and loving. But the situation is so bad that at least one state lawmaker, Assembleyman Tim Donnelly, has said he’d scrap the whole system and start over if he could. Read more... Sixteen-Year-Old Dad Fights Adoption Industry in Illinois May 2, 2014 by Robert Franklin, Esq. The adoption industry has struck again. This time it’s in Illinois where the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois is hard about the task of separating an infant from its father. Now, this is not Utah in which the adoption industry, supported by state law, goes to the most outrageous extremes to make sure single fathers don’t have an opportunity to care for their children. Read more... Father Defeats Bogus Guardianship of His Sons May 1, 2014 by Robert Franklin, Esq. Sometimes the anti-father bias of courts and the press is so obvious, it fairly screams from the page. But, while it’s obvious to many of us, to others it’s like the elephant in the living room – huge, but completely unseen. People’s ability to not see what’s squarely in front of them never ceases to amaze me. Here’s one example (Albuquerque Journal, 4/30/14). Read more... Parental Alienation Awareness Day: April 25, 2014, Los Angeles, California April 30, 2014 by Michelle Glogovac, Chair, Executive Committee, National Parents Organization of California I was very fortunate to be surrounded by so many people who are fighting for shared parenting on Parental Alienation Awareness day in Los Angeles, California. National Parents Organization of California joined Jason Patric and his organization, Stand Up For Gus at a press conference on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall. Joe Sorge, producer of Divorce Corp joined us and spoke about the need for family law reform, within our court system and state as a whole. Read more... Warshak Paper May Influence Child Custody Decisions in Australia April 30, 2014 by Robert Franklin, Esq. The last redoubt of the anti-father crowd is being breached. Read about it here (Sydney Morning Herald, 4/28/14). For decades, the data on children’s need for fathers have been building up. Over 20 years ago, prominent family sociologist David Popenoe was able to say that some 30 years of social science information demonstrated that children from all walks of life do better with two parents than with one. And the same holds true for children when their parents separate or divorce; they still do better with both of them actively involved in their lives. Read more...   JOIN US & TAKE ACTION Volunteer to help NPO achieve our objectives in numerous legislative,legal and media campaigns by organizing at a local level, making change happen on the ground, in your State. Learn More   Volunteer Testimonial “Every child deserves a nurturing, loving environment and protection from hostile parenting and alienation. I have seen first-hand the effects of the emotional turmoil created by unfit parents. As a grand-parent, It is especially heart-breaking to see your child victimized by both an angry parent and then again by a misinformed family court system. I became involved with National Parents Organization, because the focus is advocacy for the children.” Paul Schaffer, Member, National Parents Organization   The opinions expressed herein are those of our guest authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Parents Organization or its Board of Directors.

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