Child Custody in Domestic Violence Cases
Resources on Child Custody and Domestic Violence
Child Custody Evaluation: Domestic Violence & Cultural Contexts in Asian Families, 2017
This tipsheet identifies the differing dynamics of domestic and family violence in Asian homes and how a deeper understanding of these cultural contexts can guide and improve practice in child custody evaluations when there are allegations of domestic violence.
Custody: Gendered Harms Affecting Asian & Other Immigrant Communities, 2012
These training slides address considerations affecting Asian and other immigrants, and the implications for mediators and child custody evaluators.
Immigrants in the Child Welfare System, 2018
By ABA Center on Children and the Law, this resource provides guidance on how to navigate seven different scenarios in which children and their families may benefit from support services but face intersecting immigration and child welfare legal needs.
Other Resources
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts: Guidelines for Examining Intimate Partner Violence: A Supplement to the AFCC Model Standards of Practice for Child Custody Evaluation (2016): guidelines for child custody evaluators on identifying intimate partner violence and the effects on children, parenting and co-parenting when making custody determinations.
Battered Women’s Justice Project: The National Child Custody Project aims to increase safety for battered parents and their children while promoting fairness in all custody-related processes through training, technical assistance, and resources
Family Violence Appellate Project: dedicated to helping domestic violence survivors in California and their children by appealing trial court decisions on their behalf, for free
Legal Momentum: Legal Resource Kit for Domestic Violence and Child Custody (2005)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges: Webpage on Family Violence and Domestic Relations offers training, technical assistance, publications, and other resources on custody in domestic violence cases, including the Safe Havens Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchange Grant Program, which increases opportunities for supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between custodial and non-custodial parents, in cases involving domestic violence and other abuses
‘A gendered trap:’ When mothers allege child abuse by fathers, the mothers often lose custody, study shows (The Washington Post)