Child Custody Links and Resources

Battered Mothers Custody Conference

The Conference includes presentations, round-table discussions, and question & answer sessions with nationally distinguished professionals whose work is focused on resolving the complex issues facing battered women as they strive to protect themselves and their children in and out of court during custody and visitation disputes. It is open to lay persons and of special interest to advocates, social workers, psychologists, attorneys, judges, legal personnel, and others involved in the issue of battered women’s and abused children’s legal and civil rights being routinely violated by family courts, DSS, and other government systems.

Protective Mother Alliance

Protective Mothers Alliance(PMA) is an international organization co directed by Lundy Bancroft and Janice Levinson working to bring about change through education, legislation reform, and enforcement of current legislation. PMA supports the effort of protective moms in keeping themselves and their children safe from the abuse of a former partner, and in empowering these moms to become advocates for themselves and others. PMA is committed to bringing about dramatic reforms in the treatment of protective moms and their children in family court.

California Protective Parents

The Mission of the California Protective Parents Association is to protect children from incest and family violence through research, education and advocacy.

Courageous Kids Network

The Courageous Kids Network, are a growing group of young people, whose childhood was shattered by biased and inhumane court rulings, which forced us to live with our abusive parent, while restricting or sometimes completely eliminating contact with our loving and protective parent. We who survived, got older and stronger. Now we are telling the world how much we were hurt, first by our abusers and then by the court that refused to protect us.

Children Against Court Appointed Child Abuse (CA3)

CA3 is an organization founded by adult Children who suffered Court Appointed Child Abuse (also known as CA-CA):

1.) The Court was made aware that there had been abuse to the child.

2.) The Court ignored or minimized the abuse to the child.

3.) The Court ordered the child to be alone in the hands of her/his abuser.

Stop Family Violence

Stop Family Violence’s mission is to organize and amplify our nation’s collective voice against family violence. We are a catalyst for social change – empowering people to take action at the local, state and national level to ensure safety, justice, accountability and healing for people whose lives are affected by violent relationships

Fighting Over The Kids: Battered spouses take aim at a controversial custody strategy  Newsweek: Sept. 25, 2006 issue By Sarah Childress

The Leadership Council www.leadershipcouncil.org: The Leadership Council is a nonprofit independent scientific organization composed of respected scientists, clinicians, educators, legal scholars, and public policy analysts. We are committed to providing professionals and lay persons with the latest scientific information on issues that may affect the public’s health and safety. We also seek to correct the misuse of psychological science to serve vested interests or justify victimizing vulnerable populations — especially abused and neglected children.

Lundy Bancroft is an author, workshop leader, and activist on trauma, abuse, and healing. He offers dramatically new ways to understand the behavior of abusers and strategies for holding them accountable. He also brings fresh insight into the emotional injuries that trauma and abuse cause, their lasting effects, and how best to get ourselves free. He believes that all people have the right to live free from abuse and oppression. Lundy is the author of three books in the field, including Why Does He Do That?, When Dad Hurts Mom, and the national prize-winner The Batterer as Parent.

Domestic Violence, Abuse, and Child Custody: Legal Strategies and Policy Issues , Editors: Mo Therese Hannah, Ph.D. and Barry Goldstein, J

For many years protective mothers have complained that unfair custody courts are taking their children and forcing the children to live with abusive fathers. These concerns have now been confirmed by a definitive new book, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE and CHILD CUSTODY co-edited by Dr. Mo Therese Hannah and Barry Goldstein. The book contains the most up-to-date research and information from over 25 of the leading experts in the US and Canada including judges, lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, journalists and domestic violence advocates. One could reasonably argue about when the research became so clear as to confirm the failure of custody courts to handle domestic violence custody cases in a way that protects children. The common practices and approaches adopted over thirty years ago when there was no research available have been discredited, but they are so deeply ingrained that the courts have not been open to reforming the broken system. Today we know the system must be reformed. This book should be used by journalists to expose the problem, courts to fix the problem, legislators to reform the system and the public to demand the courts stop sending children to live with abusers.