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Call for Proposals
16th Symposium on Child Custody
AFCC is accepting proposals for 90-minute workshops for our 16th Symposium on Child Custody. The deadline to submit a proposal is May 3, 2024.
Layers of complicated issues often confound the transitions experienced by families navigating separation and divorce. Some issues are relatively straightforward. Others are truly perplexing, as family court professionals endeavor to consider allegations, review supporting evidence, and untangle the “he said, she said.” Polarizing concerns have given rise to heated debate over presenting risks, and the potential for interventions that integrate safety and the preservation of parent-child relationships whenever possible.
16th Symposium on Child Custody
Shaping the Future: Screening and Assessing for Safety and Wellbeing of Parent-Child Relationships
November 14-16, 2024
Columbus, Ohio
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Proposals can draw on a topic related to the conference theme or from a topic below:
- Parenting Coordination
- Mediation with IPV Dynamics
- Online Dispute Resolution
- Impact of Emerging Practice Legislation
- Interventions for Parent-Child Contact Problem
- Coercive Control
- Litigation Abuse
- Cross-Allegations of IPV and PCCP
- Ethics and Professionalism
- Legal Representation and Courtroom Practices
- Psychometric Testing
- Diversity/Culture and Parenting Time
- Screening/Assessment for IPV
- Screening/Assessment of PCCP Dynamics.
- Services for Self-Represented Parties
- Court-Involved Therapy
- Multidisciplinary Teamwork
- Cost-Effective Evaluations
- Conducting Virtual Evaluations
- Voice of the Child in High Conflict Cases
- Parent Education
For more information, please see the Call for Proposals. All proposals must be submitted using the online form.
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Based on ten years of providing client-directed representation to children embroiled in contested custody proceedings between their parents and the prior ten years representing parents in litigation, this writer proposes that in contentious cases (e.g., domestic violence, child maltreatment/abuse, allegations of “parental alienation,” children with special needs, one parent’s rejection of a child’s sexual orientation, relocation, etc.), the appointment of a client-directed attorney is the optimal way of ensuring the judge and other family court professionals hear, listen and heed the voice of the child. (Chester 2021). This author will show how 1) allegations of parental alienation can unjustifiably discredit and distort the child’s voice; 2) a client-directed attorney is necessary for the court to receive reliable evidence about a child’s experiences, views, and preferences; and 3) a client-directed attorney is in the child’s best interests. Continue Reading.
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Webinar Corner
The "Good Enough" Parenting Plan Evaluation
Leslie M. Drozd, PhD
April 9, 2024
1:00pm – 2:00pm Eastern Time (US/Canada)
Registration will close on April 8, 2024, at 9:00am Eastern Time US/Canada.
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 | | Parenting Plan Evaluations (PPEs) have become increasingly expensive and take longer to complete. As a result, PPEs are no longer a viable option for those who cannot afford the cost of these reports and/or cannot wait for the evaluators to write their reports. To improve access to justice, this webinar will explore approaches to streamline PPEs to provide parents, counsel, and the courts with a product beyond a brief focused evaluation, yet not the full extended version. The decision to engage in a “good enough PPE is not without risks and must be consistent with guidelines for practice. This webinar will explore approaches and methods to consider: Does it help on the front end for the issues to be explored to be clearly defined? How much history is enough? How many interviews/observations is enough? Is testing required in every case? Does the evaluator need to speak with every collateral? How can reports be written in less than 40 hours while meeting standards and guidelines? What parameters can be put around the methodology? What limitations are acceptable and not fatal flaws? How can this all be accomplished while avoiding preventable errors and managing bias? Implications will be considered for applying streamlined approaches to PPE, including the risks and benefits.
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| | | Leslie Drozd, PhD, is a psychologist in independent practice in Newport Beach, California in clinical and forensic psychology with expertise in family violence, alienation, gatekeeping, child abuse, and substance abuse. She has co-authored a myriad of peer-reviewed articles and chapters in these areas of expertise. She serves as a forensic consultant, expert witness, reviewing expert, and child custody evaluator and as a clinician working with families with resist refuse dynamics. She has served as the editor Journal of Child Custody, AFCC task forces that created the Model Standards of Practice for conducting child custody evaluations and the supplement to those model standards for dealing with intimate partner violence in child custody cases. She has co-written or co-edited books for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Oxford University Press, and Professional Resources Press. She has taught judges, attorneys, and mental health professionals across the country, in Canada, and Europe. She has received AFCC’s John E. Van Duzer Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding contributions and achievements.
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Registration
Members: $15
Non-Members: $50
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Certificate of Attendance
Members: $15
Non-members: $20
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DE&I Series
Disrupting Anti-Black Racism in the Judicial System: A Focus on Child Rearing and African American Parents
Carla Adkison-Johnson, PhD and Trae Bell, MA
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
4:00pm-6:00pm Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Registration closes April 16, 2024, at 9am Eastern Time US
The American Bar Association (ABA), American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) recommend that court officials and mental health clinicians are educated about anti-Black racism and its impact on the integrity of African American families. It is well documented that the child rearing practices of African American mothers and fathers have been scrutinized and pathologized by helping professionals which has led to the overrepresentation of African Americans in the child welfare system.
This webinar is free to attend, but you must register to receive the link to join.
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| | | Carla Adkison-Johnson, PhD, has been a licensed professional clinical counselor for over 25 years and is committed to meeting the counseling needs of adults, families, and children. She is currently a professor (tenured) with the Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology, at Western Michigan University. She received her doctorate in counseling and human development from Kent State University and is nationally known for her research on culturally competent counseling and African American child rearing practices. She has served as a child discipline expert witness in civil and criminal courts. In 2017, she received the WMU College of Education and Human Development Distinguished Scholar Award. Dr. Adkison-Johnson is also the recipient of the Kent State University Outstanding Alumnus Award. She is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Council for Counseling and Educational Related Programs (CACREP), the national and international accrediting body for the counseling profession. In this capacity, she served as Chair of CACREP’s Training Committee.
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Trae Bell, MA is a third-year doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at Western Michigan University. He works on various research teams assisting Dr. Carla Adkison-Johnson and her work in child rearing in African-American families. He was born and raised in Teague, TX, and is proud to be a Black man. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Masters of Arts from an CACREP accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling program from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX. His dissertation research focuses on somebodiness and how the concept is intertwined in the lives of African-American children. His master's internship experience involved counseling children ages three to eighteen. Trae Bell has presented at the 2023 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, 2023 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFFC) Conference, and the 2022 Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference.
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Susan Yates, AFCC member from Illinois has been selected to receive the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution’s D’Alemberte Raven Award. This prestigious award in dispute resolution honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the field through innovative programs, service improvements, research, or educational initiatives. Congratulations, Susan!
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Dianna Gould-Saltman, AFCC member from California and former AFCC President has retired from the bench after serving the Los Angeles Superior Court since 2010. She has embarked on a new chapter of her career at Signature Resolution, assuming the role of a private judge and family law mediator. Watch this video to hear her detail her thoughts on the transition. Congratulations, Dianna!
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Darren Mort, AFCC member from Australia recently published his latest novel, Isla’s Song. Based on true events, this emotionally intelligent and richly detailed novel is a suspenseful family drama about a child who is abducted by her depressed mother from her home in Melbourne, Australia and relocated overseas while her anguished father spends years trying to find her. Congratulations, Darren!
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AFCC eNEWS
The AFCC eNEWS is the monthly e-newsletter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. The eNEWS provides up-to-date information for professionals including practice tips, international news, and the latest initiatives in family law and conflict resolution. The AFCC eNEWS is provided at no charge to you; anyone can subscribe.
AFCC members are free to share eNEWS content.
EDITOR:
Ann Ordway, JD, PhD
ASSOCIATE EDITOR:
Patrick Sommer
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