Family law practitioners and judicial officers presiding in the Family Division have long encountered a challenging issue that exists in some parenting and divorce cases: where a child resists or refuses contact with one parent. Sometimes, the lack of contact between a child and a parent has occurred for many years. What can be done to assist this family? It seems that this issue is appearing with more frequency in recent years, but there is little consistency with how it is being addressed by the attorneys who represent the parents, and the judicial officers who preside over their cases. New Hampshire's statute which governs parenting issues, RSA 461-A, informs us that it is the policy of our state that - unless it is clearly shown that in a particular case it is detrimental to a child - we should support frequent and continuing contact between each child and both parents. RSA 461-A:2, I(a). We can all agree that it is important that all children have a healthy relationship with all parents, where possible and safe. However, in a case where a child resists or refuses contact with a parent and the reason is unclear or unknown, it is difficult for the attorneys and the judicial officer to determine whether contact between that child and the rejected parent would actually be detrimental to the child. Over the years, many family law professionals and aggrieved parents have asserted that the rejected parent must be abusive or neglectful, and that the child's lack of contact is justified (i.e. estrangement), or that the parent with whom the child is aligned is doing things to cause the child to reject the other parent (i.e. alienation). Placing labels like this on the family dynamic, however, often overlooks other issues which may exist and which may actually be causing the child to resist or refuse the parent.
This full-day, engaging program endeavors to provide family law professionals with education about the topic of severe parent/child contact problems, information about how to identify what may be causing the problems, and ideas about how to address such problems in the context of these difficult parenting and divorce cases. Ways in which bias may be minimized, premature closure may be avoided, and litigant animosity and antagonism may be reduced, are explored. Further, how such problems are addressed by evaluations and the form of evaluations available is discussed, as is the availability (or lack thereof) of counseling and other therapeutic interventions for families with severe parent/child contact problems. Pending legislation in New Hampshire and elsewhere associated with this topic is considered.
This program will benefit family law practitioners, Guardians ad Litem and mental health professionals. It is the hope of the presenters that participants will end the day with a more complete understanding of, and practical and helpful perspective about, the issue of severe parent/child contact problems which may assist in better serving New Hampshire families involved in parenting and divorce cases.
Who Should Attend?
Everyone who handles family law cases, including divorce, parenting, post-divorce, juvenile, and domestic violence cases.
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TO THE NHMCLE ART SYSTEM FOR YOU TYPICALLY WITHIN TWO BUSINESS DAYS OF PRINTING THE PROGRAM CERTIFICATE.
Materials:
Materials for Online seminars, CLEtoGo seminars and Live Webcasts come in pdf format after purchase for you to download and save/print. They will be available in your online account through this catalog.
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