Category: Press Releases

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
MEDIA STATEMENT

April 15, 2016

Following Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s veto of SB668 today, Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization, issued the following statement:

“While National Parents Organization is deeply disappointed in Gov. Rick Scott’s decision, we will continue to support the best interests of children by working to move shared parenting after divorce from the exception to the norm in Florida as well as nationwide. With research increasingly showing shared parenting gives children what they desperately need and want after divorce, we’re particularly troubled by Gov. Scott’s statement due to the tens of thousands of children who are at risk of unhappy childhoods as a result of his decision. Plus, the fact that Gov. Scott’s office said supporters of the bill outnumbered opponents by 5 to 1 makes his veto even more concerning. Nevertheless, we look forward to working constructively with the Governor as well as lawmakers nationwide in the future to advance the true best interests of children – a childhood filled with the constant love and support of not just one, but both, parents after divorce.”

MEDIA SOURCES

Local leader: Troy Matson, Chair of National Parents Organization of Florida

National expert: Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S., Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization

A regular contributor to local and national media, Dr. Holstein is Founder and Chair of the Board of National Parents Organization. Dr. Holstein was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Working Group on Child Centered Family Law, and he was previously appointed by a Massachusetts Chief Justice to a task force charged with reviewing and revising the state’s child support guidelines.

A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Holstein also earned a Master’s degree in psychology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His medical degree is from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he serves on the faculty.

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING

Shared Parenting Data

• The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

• The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

• The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.

National Parents Organization
Press Release

April 13, 2016
 

BOSTON — With National Ex-Spouse Day – Thursday, April 14 – meant to “be a positive day of reflection and to encourage people to release anger or resentment,” as reported in USA Today, National Parents Organization encourages states across the country to continue the national trend to reform our family courts by enacting shared parenting legislation after parents separate or divorce.

In the last year, more than 20 states have introduced legislation that would treat parents more equally in instances of divorce while also providing children what they most want and need – as close to equal time as possible with both their parents. Florida and Missouri are two most recent examples, with Missouri’s legislature advancing a shared parenting bill in the Senate and Florida passing a bill that now awaits the Governor’s signature. 

“Families heal from the pain and anger of separation and divorce with shared parenting, which is good for the entire family, especially the children, Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization, said. “The research shows that children do much better when their parents share parenting time more equally. And first-time rates of domestic violence are lower with shared parenting, instead of the victor-vanquished dynamic of one parent having sole custody. This National Ex-Spouse Day, I can’t think of a better way to heal families than by making shared parenting, rather than sole custody, the norm in our society.”

While shared parenting remains unusual, a handful of states, as well as Sweden and Australia, have implemented reform in recent years, and the arrangement has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting and the Council of Europe.

“Our nation’s family court status quo sets parents up for a bitter, winner-takes-all child custody battle, and in line with the intention of National Ex-Spouse Day, let’s support shared parenting laws so that exes can step into divorce courtrooms on equal, less contentious footing so they can focus on working together for the best interests of their children,” Dr. Holstein said.

MEDIA SOURCE

Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S., Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization

A regular contributor to local and national media, Dr. Holstein is Founder and Chair of the Board of National Parents Organization. Dr. Holstein was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Working Group on Child Centered Family Law, and he was previously appointed by a Massachusetts Chief Justice to a task force charged with reviewing and revising the state’s child support guidelines.

A graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Holstein also earned a Master’s degree in psychology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His medical degree is from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he serves on the faculty.

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING

Shared Parenting Data

·         The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

·         The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

·         The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE

April 1, 2016

Following a strong show of support for shared parenting in child custody cases during a Monday, March 28, legislative hearing, National Parents Organization looks forward to future possibilities, including landing the issue on the November 2016 ballot.

During the Colorado House of Representatives committee hearing, legislators voted down HB16-1110, known as the Parent’s Bill of Rights, which establishes parental rights as a fundamental liberty interest and a fundamental right. However, the more than 20 parents that testified, many of them with their children, all supported the bill, and parents speaking on the child custody aspect of the bill were in agreement:  Colorado needs law reform supportive of parents’ rights to custody of their children when facing divorce or separation.

“While the defeat of the Parent’s Bill of Rights is unfortunate, we’re encouraged by the overwhelming agreement from citizens urging the state to recognize the inherent right to parental equality in divorce courtrooms,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “What’s more, we know from a growing body of research that shared parenting is what children most want and need when their parents divorce or separate.”

Gilbert Tso, Chair of National Parents Organization of Colorado, testified in favor of the bill and said following the hearing, “The U.S. Supreme Court and numerous lower courts have repeatedly extolled the fundamental rights of parents to the care, custody, companionship and control of their children. So why does the state of Colorado believe that a family court judge should not grant equal, shared custody, , absent clear and convincing evidence of unfitness or abandonment, .That would respect the fundamental rights of both parents and their children.”

Tso added, “I’m looking forward to working with fellow parents and state leaders to advance efforts to make shared parenting, rather than sole custody, the norm when parents divorce or separate. Whether it’s on a ballot or as new legislation, I look forward to seeing a shared parenting proposal return to Colorado as soon as possible.”

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING

Shared Parenting Data

• The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

• The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

• The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website atwww.nationalparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE

March 24, 2016

National Parents Organization applauds Colorado legislators who are acting on numerous U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have established parenting as a fundamental right and liberty interest.

Colorado legislators joined the national movement to reform the family courts and support shared parenting – a flexible arrangement in which children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent after separation or divorce – with the filing of the Parent’s Bill of Rights, HB16-1110. The bill establishes parental rights as a fundamental liberty interest and a fundamental right, which encourages family courts to make shared parenting the norm when parents divorce or separate. The move could be a significant change, considering shared parenting occurs less than 20 percent of the time after separation or divorce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Thank you, Colorado legislators, for standing up for the crucial yet all-too-often violated rights of parents. No loving and fit parent should ever lose the inherent right to spend significant, meaningful time with his or her child, as research, and common sense have told us many times over,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization.

While shared parenting is unusual, efforts to turn it from the exception to the norm within family courts are growing. For instance, The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that nearly 20 states have proposed shared parenting laws. At least three states have recently implemented reform, and numerous states are currently considering shared parenting legislation. Additionally, shared parenting has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting and the Council of Europe.

The Parent’s Bill of Rights falls in line with the 14 decisions in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Parental Rights Doctrine. For instance, the most recent opinion, Troxel v. Granville in 2000, states that the interest of parents in “the care, custody, and control of their children” is “perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests recognized by this Court.”

Importantly, the bill also aligns with a growing body of research concluding shared parenting is in the best interest of children when parents divorce or separate. As just one recent example, a 150,000-person study published in The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health last year concluded shared parenting is in the best interest of children’s health.

“Millions of American children are suffering from the outmoded practices of the family courts of awarding custody to just one parent, with only a few days per month of parenting time with the other parent. This custody model is not in the best interest of most children. It causes heartache for children, who ardently desire the love and guidance of both parents. And such children do more poorly in school, have higher rates of substance abuse, drop out more frequently, and have higher rates of delinquency, gang activity and trouble with the law,” Dr. Holstein said.

Gilbert Tso, Co-Chair of National Parents Organization of Colorado, asked, “How can we square the language of Troxel v. Granville, and numerous other similar Supreme Court decisions, with the slashing of the parenting time of a fit, loving and involved parent far below the mathematically necessary 50 percent? Yet the family courts do this hundreds of times every day. In the process they are damaging the best interest of the children, according to the consensus of child development experts who have researched the issue. It’s time to right this wrong, and the path begins with passage of the Parent’s Bill of Rights in Colorado.”

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE

March 18, 2016

BOSTON, MA – With National Single Parent Day approaching on Monday, March 21, National Parents Organization urges citizens and legislators nationwide to recognize the day by supporting shared parenting legislation in numerous states.

“Right now, most children of divorce have just one single parent, plus one ‘visitor.’ With shared parenting, they get not just one, but two single parents – two for the price of one,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, MS, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan honored a request from Congress by issuing a proclamation for the day, and in doing so, he stated that “with the active interest and support of friends, relatives and local communities,” single parents “can do even more to raise their children in the best possible environment.”

“The evidence showing shared parenting is in the best interest of children when parents divorce or separate is now overwhelming. With this in mind, backing family law reform that seeks to move shared parenting from rare to common in divorce courtrooms is a terrific way to support ‘the best possible environment’ for children,” Dr. Holstein said.

While shared parenting – a flexible arrangement where children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent – is unusual, efforts to turn it from the exception to the norm within family courts are growing. For instance, The Wall Street Journal revealed that nearly 20 states have proposed shared parenting laws. At least three states have recently implemented reform, and numerous states – including Florida, Missouri, Maryland, Colorado and Iowa –  are currently considering shared parenting legislation. Additionally, shared parenting has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting and the Council of Europe.

“Millions of American children are suffering from the outmoded practices of the family courts of awarding custody to just one parent, with only a few days per month of parenting time with the other parent. This custody model is not in the best interest of most children. It causes heartache for children, who ardently desire the love and guidance of both parents. And such children do more poorly in school, have higher rates of substance abuse, drop out more frequently, and have higher rates of delinquency, gang activity and trouble with the law,” Dr. Holstein said. “This National Single Parent Day, let’s work together to help give children of single parents what they most want and need – the constant love and support of both parents.

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING

Shared Parenting Data

• The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

• The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

• The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website atwww.nationalparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE

March 8, 2016

National Parents Organization is pleased to announce that the Florida Legislature has passed a shared parenting bill that is headed to Gov. Rick Scott for signature to become the new law in the State of Florida. 

On the heels of the Florida Senate’s passage last week of CS/CS/SB 668, the Florida House of Representatives adopted and passed the bill Tuesday, March 8, bringing Florida to the forefront of a national movement to reform the family courts and support shared parenting – a flexible arrangement in which children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent after divorce. The bill aligns with the growing body of evidence showing shared parenting is in the best interest of children in most cases when parents divorce.

Specifically, the bill holds that approximately equal time with each parent is in the best interest of the child when parents divorce.  The legislation also requires a judge to produce written findings of fact to justify a parenting plan – a change that would encourage judges to pay more attention to research on children’s best interests. The move could be a significant change, considering shared parenting occurs less than 20 percent of the time after divorce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The bill would also make important reforms to the laws concerning alimony awards.

“Thank you, members of the Florida House and Senate, for standing up for what children most want and need,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “Millions of American children are suffering from the outmoded practices of the family courts of awarding custody to just one parent, with only a few days per month of parenting time with the other parent. This custody model is not in the best interest of most children. It causes heartache for children, who ardently desire the love and guidance of both parents. And such children do more poorly in school, have higher rates of substance abuse, drop out more frequently, and have higher rates of delinquency, gang activity and trouble with the law.”

While shared parenting is unusual, efforts to turn it from the exception to the norm within family courts are growing. For instance, The Wall Street Journal revealed that nearly 20 states have proposed shared parenting laws. At least three states have recently implemented reform, and numerous states are currently considering shared parenting legislation. Additionally, shared parenting has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parentingand the Council of Europe.

Troy Matson, Chair of National Parents Organization of Florida, said, “This bill becoming law will allow the conversation to begin, rather than end, with the two-parent solution when parents divorce. Too many Florida children have suffered with the current status quo of parents entering courtrooms on unequal footing. I commend the Florida Legislature for righting this wrong, and I urge Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott, to sign this common sense solution into law for the sake of Florida’s families.” 

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING

Shared Parenting Data

• The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

• The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

• The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website atwww.nationalparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

PRESS RELEASE

February 25, 2016

National Parents Organization applauds Maryland legislators who are acting on the persuasive body of research showing shared parenting is in the best interest of children in most cases when parents divorce or separate.

Maryland legislators joined the national movement to reform the family courts and support shared parenting – a flexible arrangement in which children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent after separation or divorce – with the filing of identical bills, SB0962, titled Children’s Rights & Parental Rights – Shared Parenting Time Act for Family Equality, and HB1386, titled Rebuttable Presumption of Joint Custody. The Senate bill will be heard at 1 p.m. on March 8 by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, and the House bill will be heard at 1 p.m. on March 9 by the House Judiciary Committee.

The legislation proposes adding language to the state’s child custody law to emphasize that shared parenting is in the best interest of the child when fit parents divorce or separate – a change that would encourage judges to pay more attention to research on children’s best interests. The move could be a significant change, considering shared parenting occurs less than 20 percent of the time after separation or divorce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Thank you, Maryland lawmakers, for standing up for what children most want and need. I urge all state legislators to waste no time in moving this historic proposal forward,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “Millions of American children are suffering from the outmoded practices of the family courts of awarding custody to just one parent, with only a few days per month of parenting time with the other parent. This custody model is not in the best interest of most children. It causes heartache for children, who ardently desire the love and guidance of both parents. And such children do more poorly in school, have higher rates of substance abuse, drop out more frequently, and have higher rates of delinquency, gang activity and trouble with the law.”

While shared parenting is unusual, efforts to turn it from the exception to the norm within family courts are growing. For instance, The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that nearly 20 states have proposed shared parenting laws. At least three states have recently implemented reform, and numerous states are currently considering shared parenting legislation. Additionally, shared parenting has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting.

Aaron Bates, a Maryland father and leader of National Parents Organization of Maryland, said, “Maryland families, especially our children, have unnecessarily suffered for too long. The solution is simple. Children need not one, but both parents, and now is the time for Maryland to step up and pass this common sense proposal.”

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING

Shared Parenting Data

• The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

• The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

• The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE

February 8, 2016

National Parents Organization applauds Missouri legislators who are acting on the growing research showing shared parenting is in the best interest of children in most cases when parents divorce or separate.

Missouri legislators joined the national movement to reform the family courts and support shared parenting – a flexible arrangement in which children spend as close to equal time as possible with each parent after separation or divorce – with the filing of identical bills, HB 2055, and SB 964. These two bills are sponsored by Representative Kathryn Swan, R-Cape Girardeau, and Senator Wayne Wallingford, R-Cape Girardeau, respectively. The Senate bill will be heard at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, by the Seniors, Families and Children Committee. Supporters are urged to testify.

The legislation proposes adding language to the state’s child custody law to emphasize that the best interest of the child is equal access to both parents – a change that would encourage judges to pay more attention to research on the best interest of children. The move could be a significant change, considering shared parenting occurs less than 20 percent of the time after separation or divorce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Thank you, Missouri lawmakers, for standing up for what children most want and need. I urge all state legislators to waste no time in moving this historic proposal forward,” said Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, Founder and Board Chair of National Parents Organization. “Millions of American children are suffering from the outmoded practices of the family courts of awarding custody to just one parent, with only a few days per month of parenting time with the other parent. This custody model is not in the best interest of most children. It causes heartache for children, who ardently desire the love and guidance of both parents. And such children do more poorly in school, have higher rates of substance abuse, drop out more frequently, and have higher rates of delinquency, gang activity and trouble with the law. ”

While shared parenting is unusual, efforts to turn it from the exception to the norm within family courts are growing. For instance, The Wall Street Journal recently revealed that nearly 20 states have proposed shared parenting laws, and at least three states have recently implemented reform. Additionally, shared parenting has received high-profile endorsements, including support from the Catholic Church as well as the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting.

Missouri mother, grandmother and National Parents Organization member Linda Reutzel of Cape Girardeau has been heavily involved in local shared parenting advocacy efforts. She said, “Children have an intrinsic right to two fit parents, and with too many Missouri children unnecessarily losing out on this right through the years, the children of Missouri cannot wait any longer. It is time for our state to step up as a national champion for children.”

RECENT RESEARCH: SHARED PARENTING VERSUS SINGLE PARENTING 

Shared Parenting Data

·         The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health published a 150,000-person study titled “Fifty moves a year: Is there an association between joint physical custody and psychosomatic problems in children?” in May 2015 that concluded shared parenting after divorce or separation is in the best interest of children’s health because the arrangement lowers their stress levels.

·         The Journal of the American Psychological Association published a paper titled “Social Science and Parenting Plans for Young Children: A Consensus Report” in 2014, and the conclusions were endorsed by 110 eminent authorities around the world. Authored by Dr. Richard Warshak at the University of Texas, the paper concluded, “… shared parenting should be the norm for parenting plans for children of all ages, including very young children.”

·         The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) published the recommendations of 32 family law experts in 2014, and the group concluded, “Children’s best interests are furthered by parenting plans that provide for continuing and shared parenting relationships that are safe, secure, and developmentally responsive and that also avoid a template calling for a specific division of time imposed on all families.”

Single Parenting Data

According to federal statistics from sources including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Census Bureau, children raised by single parents account for:

•       63% of teen suicides;

•       70% of juveniles in state-operated institutions;

•       71% of high school drop-outs;

•       75% of children in chemical abuse centers;

•       85% of those in prison;

•       85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders; and

•       90% of homeless and runaway children.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationaparentsorganization.org.

NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION
PRESS RELEASE 

January 27, 2016

BOSTON — National Parents Organization welcomes important breakthroughs announced at the 2015 International Conference on Shared Parenting, a conference of about 120 research scientists and other experts from over 20 countries who met in December 2015 in Bonn, Germany.

The Conference participants concluded that “…shared parenting [after parental separation or divorce] is recognized as the most effective means for both reducing high parental conflict and preventing first-time family violence…” [material in brackets added] This is in stark contrast to the practices of most family courts in the Unites States, which have assumed that shared parenting between high conflict parents after separation or divorce is dangerous and should not be tried.

The Conference also concluded that “… there is mounting evidence that shared parenting can both prevent parental alienation [in which the child is taught to hate a previously beloved parent], and is a potential remedy for existing situations of parental alienation in separated families…”  [material in brackets added] These findings greatly increase the number of families who qualify for shared parenting, which the ICSP defines as “equivalent, alternating care of children whose parents are living apart.”

The Conference participants drew a distinction between high conflict families and those in which there has been “substantiated family violence and child abuse. In such cases, a rebuttable presumption against shared parenting should apply.”

National Parents Organization’s Founder and Board Chairman, Dr. Ned Holstein, MD, MS was a featured speaker during the Conference. Of the Conference’s conclusions, he said, “Remember when we were told not to eat butter until the experts found that it is actually preferable to margarine? Well, we now have the startling reversal that shared parenting after parental separation or divorce is the most effective means for reducing high parental conflict, and that it decreases the subsequent onset of first-time family violence. It is wonderful to know that we have a way to help the children of high-conflict couples who separate or divorce.”

Because of the large body of evidence now supporting shared parenting as the best arrangement for the large majority of children after parental separation or divorce, the Conference experts concluded, “…there is consensus that both the legal and psycho-social implementation as a presumption [of shared parenting] should proceed without delay.” [material in brackets added] The Conference conclusions referenced Resolution 2079 passed by the Council of Europe on October 2, 2015. This Resolution also called on member governments to pass shared parenting into law.

Contrary to popular belief, in the United States, shared parenting is increasing, but remains unusual. Data from the US Census Bureau shows that this arrangement is in place in less than 20% of cases. In 2015, three states passed legislation supporting shared parenting, and according to The Wall Street Journal, almost 20 other states considered similar laws.

“Millions of American children are suffering from the outmoded practices of the family courts of awarding custody to just one parent, with only a few days per month of parenting time with the other parent. These brief periods of ‘visitation’ have been shown to be ineffective in maintaining a close and loving parent-child bond. This custody model is not in the best interest of most children because it has been shown to cause heartache and failure of children, who ardently desire the love and guidance of both parents,” Dr. Holstein said.

MEDIA SOURCE

Ned Holstein, M.D., M.S.

A regular contributor to local and national media, Dr. Holstein is Founder and Chair of the Board of National Parents Organization. Dr. Holstein was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts to the Massachusetts Working Group on Child Centered Family Law, and he was previously appointed by a Massachusetts Chief Justice to a task force charged with reviewing and revising the state’s child support guidelines.

A graduate of Harvard College, Holstein also earned a Master’s degree in psychology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His medical degree is from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where he serves on the faculty.

ABOUT NATIONAL PARENTS ORGANIZATION

National Parents Organization, a charitable and educational 501 (c)(3) organization, seeks better lives for children through family law reform that establishes equal rights and responsibilities for fathers and mothers after divorce or separation. The organization is focused on promoting shared parenting and preserving a child’s strong bond with both parents, which is critically important to their emotional, mental, and physical health. In 2014, National Parents Organization released the Shared Parenting Report Card, the first study to rank the states on child custody laws. Visit the National Parents Organization website at www.nationalparentsorganization.org.