Children and Custody
Research confirms that child custody cases often move through court systems without regard for peoples’ real-life experiences of domestic violence, often resulting in parenting arrangements that can expose victimized parents and their children to further abuse.
Children and the non-abusive parent are impacted in many ways when a parent or guardian uses violence in the home. In child custody and parenting time determinations, most state courts must account for domestic violence; however, connecting domestic violence to parenting is often challenging for practitioners. Making the connection between intimate partner violence and parenting in child custody cases is critical for the safety and wellbeing of both the children and the non-abusive parent.
Most of these resources are provided by our National Legal Center on Children and Domestic Violence, which provides technical assistance and training on the intersections of family law, child support, and child welfare when there is domestic violence.
Search and explore all Child Custody related resources in the side menu, or dive into a recent addition below:
Children and Custody resources
A Domestic Violence-Informed Approach to Child Custody Decision-Making
Published by: Loretta Frederick, Nancy Ver Steegh Notwithstanding an abundance of social science literature and persistent efforts to raise awareness…
TAGS: #WebinarMaking the Case for Coercive Control
Published by: Loretta Frederick , Nancy Ver Steegh Family court professionals generally agree that domestic violence comes in many different…
TAGS: #WebinarCalculating Safety: Domestic Violence and Child Support Parenting Time Initiatives
Published by: Nancy Ver Steegh, Gabrielle Davis Policy makers and stakeholders have been engaged in a national discussion about establishing…
TAGS: #WebinarAccounting for Risk and Danger Practice Checklists
Published by: Connie Sponsler-Garcia Ideally, identifying and documenting risk factors for serious or lethal intimate partner violence (IPV) should be…
TAGS: #Tools and GuidesRepresenting Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Connected with the Military
Published by: Ellen Schell This handbook for civil attorneys provides legal and military policy information needed by civil attorneys representing…
TAGS: #Tools and GuidesPractice Guides for Family Court Decision-Making in Domestic Abuse-Related Child Custody Matters
Published by: Loretta Frederick, Gabrielle Davis These practice guides are designed to improve decision-making by family court professionals involved in…
TAGS: #Tools and GuidesMind the Gap: Accounting for Domestic Abuse in Child Custody Evaluations
Published by: Ellen Pence, Gabrielle Davis, Denise Gamache, Cheryl Beardslee This report was part of a national child custody project…
TAGS: #Tools and GuidesParent Coordination Services: A Guide for Policy Makers
Published by: Barbara Hart, Esq. This guide is designed to assist policymakers, courts and attorneys in deliberations and decision-making on…
TAGS: #Tools and GuidesCustody Evaluator’s Beliefs About Domestic Violence
Published by: Gabrielle Davis Three important new studies explore the relationship between custody evaluators' beliefs about domestic abuse and the…
TAGS: #Research and StatisticsAmicus Brief: Robertson v. Watson
Published by: Sandra Tibbetts Murphy In this case, the petitioner obtained a civil protection order, which the defendant later violated.…
TAGS: #Amicus BriefInterstate Child Custody: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Indian Child Welfare Act
This tool provides a statutory summary of the Indian Child Welfare Act, 25 U.S.C §1901.
TAGS: #Tools and GuidesCustody Tool Series – Old PKPA
This tool provides a statutory summary and overview of the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act, 28 U.S.C. §1738A, and significant provisions…
TAGS: #Tools and Guides