Institute for Child Custody Advocacy

It’s time to protect child custody rights.

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Our Mission

Our mission is to create more equitable Family Court practices and procedures by championing legislative safeguards that defend the fundamental right to parent.


We believe that there should always be easy access to legal protections in cases which include safety concerns and abuse claims.


However, the Court’s willingness to sever the parent-child bond without strict scrutiny standards should be the exception and not the rule.


Our purpose is to create parental protections around people while they rebuild their professional and personal lives. 

Meet Our Founder

The Solution

Legislative Safeguards- in a rare display of mutual agreement, both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature adopted resolutions to "urge and request the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI) to review (state) laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures related to mental health evaluations used in child custody and visitation proceedings." This joint resolution expands the scope of inquiry beyond credentials for mental health evaluations to the application of legal standards and the parental protections afforded by the constitution. Additionally, the resolution encourages collaborative co-parenting while discouraging approaches that strip parental and custodial rights from either parent, unless doing so under the domestic violence laws.


The Institute is collaborating with LSLI, parent advocacy groups, domestic violence coalitions, and other stakeholders to promote more equitable family court practices and to protect parental rights for fit parents, most often while they are struggling to rebuild their lives after a long, expensive, and contentious divorce. The Institute wants to end the weaponization of the family court system by malicious parents. More money should not mean more fit to love and parent your child.

What is the connection between Family Courts and Domestic Abuse?

Most couples who end up in the Family Court System usually have at least one abusive party involved. It is a self-selecting process, because in most cases with two good people, an equitable settlement is made before ever entering the Family Court System. 

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Background on the Institute’s Founder, Bridget Neal: 

Bridget Neal is a Louisianan, who has worked with several international scientific organizations, currently working for CBF Partners at NASA-Stennis.



Neal graduated from Louisiana State University with her bachelor’s degree in 1999 and went on to graduate from Tulane University with her Master’s of Art in Civic and Cultural Management in 2001. She formerly served as the Executive Director of Team Metric and has held several positions at the world’s largest research and scientific complex- the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Neal has been committed to advocating for change in the family court system since losing access to her children in the Summer 2021. This occurred after a succession of painful situations predicated on meritless claims made by a child custody evaluator which were not derived from forensic evidence.

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Background on the Institute’s Founder, Bridget Neal: 

Bridget Neal is a Louisianan, who has worked with several international scientific organizations, currently working for CBF Partners at NASA-Stennis.


Neal graduated from Louisiana State University with her bachelor’s degree in 1999 and went on to graduate from Tulane University with her Master’s of Art in Civic and Cultural Management in 2001. She formerly served as the Executive Director of Team Metric and has held several positions at the world’s largest research and scientific complex- the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Neal has been committed to advocating for change in the family court system since losing access to her children in the Summer of 2021. This occurred after a succession of painful situations predicated on an inaccurate child custody evaluation and a domestic judicial system that does not always enforce the law nor does it seem to prioritize protecting the parent-child bond.

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By Bridget Neal 15 Jun, 2022
Introduction
By Bridget Neal 13 Jun, 2022
Louisiana legislators have recognized the many structural failures within the family court system. In a rare display of bipartisanship and mutual agreement, both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature adopted, identical in intention, resolutions pledging their commitment to protecting the parent-child bond and constitutional right to parent. Senate Resolution 186 (SR186) and the House Resolution 228 (HR228), both “urge and request the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI) to review (state) laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures related to mental health evaluations used in child custody and visitation proceedings.“ LSLI is a legislative advisory body, housed at LSU, that researches questions of law and then makes recommendations to legislators. This joint resolution crucially expands the scope of inquiry beyond specific credentials for mental health evaluations to the application of legal standards and the parental protections afforded by the constitution. Notably, these resolutions illuminate the importance of establishing an equitable co-parenting relationship and the role of the child custody evaluation in establishing the co-parenting power dynamics. These resolutions outline that the child custody evaluation should encourage collaborative co-parenting while discouraging approaches that strip parental and custodial rights unless doing so complies with enacted domestic violence laws. Louisiana legislators seem to understand that the relationship between the parents is the primary factor that truly frames childhood experiences and memories.
By Bridget Neal 08 Jun, 2022
Where The Wheels of Justice Grind You Down
By Bridget Neal 26 May, 2022
The following was published in The Advocate as a letter to the editor on May 25, 2022. Read online HERE . In my favorite book, “The Little Prince,” the overarching theme is adults prioritizing what they perceive as “matters of great consequence,” and failing to see the significance of personal relationships. That peculiar euphemism perfectly describes family court and its failure to protect the most significant relationship for many people, their parent-child connection. This court failure, then, creates a condition for which it offers no adequate remedy. Where there is a constitutional right, there must be a remedy, and the U.S. Supreme Court clearly established that parenting is a fundamental right. So, without a remedy, why are family courts allowed to sever the parent-child bond without the required strict scrutiny standards? While family courts are empowered to impose punishments for fraud upon the court or contempt against the court, these punishments rarely are meted out. That means that a parent seeking justice frequently cannot find enforcement in civil, criminal or domestic law. Thankfully, Louisiana legislators recognize this moral and legal crisis. State Rep. Patrick Jefferson, D-Homer, is sponsoring House Bill 272 , which “provides for mental health evaluations in divorce and child custody proceedings.” HB272 defines the credentials of child custody evaluators, promotes unbiased outcomes by prohibiting damaging conduct such as ex parte conversations, and prohibits certain prior relationships which create conflicts of interest. However, this bill is not expansive enough. Adding a safeguard amendment would prohibit disqualified child custody evaluators from testifying as court experts and require adherence to the approved child custody evaluation guidelines established by the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners. If family court judges are unable or unwilling to enforce parents’ constitutional rights, then the legislative branch must intervene. The clock is ticking, and while legislators cannot turn back the clock, they can stop the irreparable damage some family courts are causing.  Cover photo via The Advocate: Thank you to Rep. Patrick Jefferson, D-Homer, for carrying HB 272.
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