Speak out for Children, 1998-1999. INSTITUTION Children's Rights Council, Inc., Washington, DC
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 433 149 PS 027 885 AUTHOR Levy, David L., Ed. TITLE Speak Out for Children, 1998-1999. INSTITUTION Children's Rights Council, Inc., Washington, DC. ISSN ISSN-1042-3559 PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 77p.; For 1997 newsletters, see PS 027 406. AVAILABLE FROM Children's Rights Council, Inc., 300 "I"Street, N.E., Suite 401, Washington, DC 20002; Tel: 202-547-6227. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Speak Out for Children; v13 n1-3 Spr-Win 1998-1999 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Child Custody; *Children; *Childrens Rights; *Court Litigation; *Divorce; Family Violence; Fathers; *Federal Legislation; Parent Education; *Parent Rights; Parents; Public Policy IDENTIFIERS Marital Separation; Unmarried Parents ABSTRACT This document comprises the three issues of Volume 13 of the "Speak Out for Children" newsletter, published to strengthen families through education and to assist children of unwed parents, separation, and divorce. The Spring 1998 issue contains articles on joint custody and the reduction of parental conflict, access grant programs, standby guardianship, and proposed federal legislation to strengthen financial child support. The Summer-Fall 1998 issue includes articles on the anti-joint custody resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives, locating missing children, the long-term impact of divorce on children, child access to non-custodial parents, and reasonable child support awards. The Winter 1999 issue contains articles on passage of the Access (Visitation) Law, shared parenting, fatherless boys, locating missing children, and helping domestic violence victims by issuing a new Social Security number. Regular features include book reviews, news from individual chapters of the organization, descriptions of relevant court cases, and descriptions of pending federal legislation.(KB) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Vol. 13-No.1 Spring 1998 ISSN 1042-3559 Strengthening Families Assisting Children of Through Education Unwed Parents, Separation and Divorce PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY D. L. Lev.A en TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES lil INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) The Quarterly Newsletter of the Children's Rights Council, Inc. 300 "I" Street N.E., Suite 401, Washington, D.C. 20002-4389 Phone (202)547-6227 IN THIS ISSUE: All States Runnin. g Access Grant Programs News Flashes 3 All 50 states and four jurisdictions (Dis- Arnaudo said that the second round of grants trict of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and theshould be announced soon. There is $10 million CRC View 4 Virgin Islands) are in the process of implement-available in this second round of grants, just as there ing programs under the first $10 million in ac-was $10 million in the first round. Congress May Seek cess/visitation grants disbursed by the federal Each state received at least $50,000 in the first to Gut Joint Custody 5 government. round of grants, with the average grant totaling about A wide variety of programs are being car-$190,000. California was the largest recipient, receiv- Standby Guardianship6 ried out by the jurisdictions, including Volun-ing more than $1 million. The disbursements were tary and Mandatory Mediation, Counseling,made under a formula based in part on the number Joint Physical Custody Education, Development of Parenting Plans,of single-parent households in the state. Lowers Divorce Rate 7 Visitation Enforcement, Monitored Visitation, The grants are provided under a provision of Supervised Visitation, Neutral Drop-off andthe 1996 Welfare Reform law "to establish and ad- Bills in Congress 8 Pick-up Centers, and Development of Guide-minister programs to support and facilitate non-custo- lines for Visitation and Alternative Custody Ar-dial parents access to and visitation of their children Kids in Joint-Custody rangements. by means of activities including mediation (both vol- Better Adjusted 10 "A mix of programs and services are be-untary and mandatory), counseling, education, devel- ing tested, with no one program or service pre-opment of parenting plans, visitation enforcement (in- Catalog of dominating," said David Arnaudo, who is including monitoring, supervision, and neutral drop-off Resources 12-14 charge of overseeing the access/visitation grantsand pick-up) and development of guidelines for visi- on behalf of the federal Office of Child Sup-tation and alternative custody arrangements." In the Courts 15 port Enforcement, U.S. Department of Health Continued on page 3 and Human Services. Family Facts 16 R2Z1 the Country 17 New Study by Judith Seltzer Joint Custody Reduces Conflict Even Between Parents CRC 19 Who Don't "Choose" Joint Custody Study Reviewed by Richard A. Kuhn, CRC Evaluator of Research Chapter News 20 Does joint custody help to reduce conflictonly because the more cooperative parents were the between parents or is it simply that more coop-ones that chose joint custody. ual Parents' Week21 erative parents are more likely to agree to joint A new study by Judith Seltzer, Ph.D., Univer- custody arrangements in the first place? sity of Wisconsin-Madison, provides strong evidence st of Chapters 22 Many, studies have demonstrated that jointto refute this claim. custody arrangements lead to much better com- Her research indicates positive effects for joint Thank You 23 pliance in financial child support and greaterlegal custody even among parents who had not cho- parental involvement. But opponents of jointsen joint custody. custody have claimed that these benefits occur Continued on page 19 Stop Congressional Anti-Joint Custody Resolution Sec. 241 of H.R. 3514 See page 5 I L 9 "Speak Out for Children"is published by the Children's Rights Council, CRC is a member (Number 1513) of Inc. Editor: David L. Levy.Contributors to this Issue: Don Bieniewicz, Richard Kuhn, Paul Robinson, Kenneth Ski lling, college student interns Erin Clifton, Eureka College, Illinois; Karoline Hay, Hood College, Maryland.Newsletter layout by Kathleen L. Ballard. Children's About CRC Charities of The Children's Rights Council (CRC) and providing for emotional and financial America is a nation-wide, non-profit IRS 501(c)(3)child support. We work to strengthen frag- sion, provided the source ("Reprinted from children's rights organization based inile families of children whose parents arethe Children's Rights Council newsletter Washington, D.C. unwed. We also favor school-based pro- `Speak Out for Children,' Fall 1997/Win- CRC works to strengthen familiesgrams for children at risk. ter 1998") is given. For non-CRC material, through education and advocacy. We favor Formed in 1985 by concerned par-obtain permission from the copyright family formation and family preservation,ents who have more than 40 years collec- owner. For further information about CRC but if families break up, or are never formed,tive experience in custody reform and early membership, publications, cassettes, cata- we work to assure a child the frequent andchildhood education, CRC has chapters in log, and services, write: CRC, 300 "I" Street continuing contact with two parents and32 states and three national affiliate organi- N.E., Suite 401, Washington, D.C. 20002; extended family the child would normallyzations: Mothers Without Custody (MW/ phone (202) 547-6227; fax (202) 546-4CRC have during a marriage. Our motto is "TheOC), Parents Without Partners (PWP), and (4272). Best Parent is Both Parents." the Stepfamily Association of America With a browser, the CRC home For the child's benefit, CRC favors(SAA). page's URL is http://www.vix.com/crc/ parenting education before marriage, dur- Prominent professionals in the fields CRC's email address: [email protected] ing marriage, and for parents who are un-of religion, law, social work, psychology,Speak Out for Children is published four wed or separated. We work to demilitarizechild care, education, business, and govern- times a year and is sent free to members. divorce between parents who are involvedment comprise our Advisory Panel. Library rate: $20.00 a year. Send letters, in marital disputes, substituting conciliation Material in this newsletter authored comments and articles for publication to and mediation for the adversarial process,by CRC may be reprinted without permis-Editor, CRC. OFFICERS AND NATIONAL Karen DeCrow Crystal Lake, Illinois BOARD MEMBERS SPOKESPERSONS Former President of N.O.W. David L. Levy, Esq. President and Darryl Grant, Washington Redskins Jamesville, New York Joan B. Kelly, Ph.D. CEO Superbowl XVII and XXII Champion Executive Director Paul R. Locigno Dwight Twilley, Pop Singer/Author Elliott H. Diamond Northern California Mediation Center Susette Watt Co-Founder, CRC John Bauserman,Jr., Esquire EVALUATORS Reston, Virginia Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D. Joan Langworthy OF RESEARCH Author, Psychiatrist John Guidubaldi, Ed.D. Phyllis Diller, Comedienne Head Waters, Virginia HONORARY PRESIDENT D. Richard Kuhn Los Angeles, California David Brenner, entertainer Nancy Heleno Obetz Vicki Lansky, Author/Columnist New York, New York Warren Farrell, Ph.D., Author Deephaven, Minnesota ADVISORY PANEL former Member of the Board of GENERAL COUNSEL Rabbi Mendel Abrams, M.Min Directors, New York City N.O.W. James Levine, The Fatherhood Project Michael L. Oddenino Former President, Board of Rabbis Leucadia, California The Family