National Custody Strategy Network – A Statement on IPV and Co-Occurring Child Abuse
A STATEMENT SUPPORTING ASSESSMENT OF THE NATURE, CONTEXT AND EFFECTS OF ABUSE IN FAMILY COURT SETTING The National Custody Strategy Network (NCSN) is a professional network of multidisciplinary practitioners and advocates for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) from state and national organizations striving to achieve better, safer outcomes for children and their families in family court cases. The NCSN is concerned with the growing epidemic of cases in which “parental alienation” is alleged and found, children’s fears and experiences are disregarded, and parents’ attempts to protect their children thwarted even though IPV and child abuse are present. NCSN members understand that children’s experiences of abuse are inadequately addressed in divorce and custody cases, which often leads to unsafe and unworkable outcomes for survivor parents and their children. 2 The NCSN hopes that this statement encourages family court practitioners and their professional associations to listen and attend to the concerns of children and parents who are both currently experiencing IPV and those who have experienced IPV in the past.