Give children as much time with both parents as possible

As a parent, you probably want to make sure that you get to see your child as often as possible after divorce. In many states, it's assumed that parents should share custody, but that's not exactly the case in Florida.

Is shared parenting the law in Florida?

A new Florida law to propose and enact shared parenting time was proposed recently, but the governor decided to veto it. According to the law, permanent alimony would have been ended and shared parenting strategies would have been determined in court. The goal would be to give children as much time with both parents as possible; in many cases, the time would be split as close to equal as it could be.

In the past, it was not uncommon to see women get child custody and for fathers to have visitation only on weekends or holidays. That was particularly common because of the belief that mothers were best suited to caring for their children. That isn't always the way people think today, but the laws in Florida still don't protect fathers by making child custody arrangements based on equal or close-to-equal custody guidelines.

Is shared parenting better for children?

Some would say so, and around 70 percent of the public does support shared parenting overall. Despite the fact that it has a heavy backing, the way the laws work in Florida don't support shared parenting and encourage the courts to break up child custody in whatever way is best suited in the situation, even if that limits a child's time with one parent.

For the second time, lawmakers are sending an alimony overhaul to Gov. Rick Scott, who vetoed a previous attempt at rewriting Florida's divorce statutes three...

Source: Florida Legislature sends controversial alimony and child-support law to governor for approval

Excerpt:

"This is people's lives that we are playing with. We cannot afford to play games with people's lives. We need to think about the real-life consequences of this bill," 

REMEMBER - the last time the Florida Alimony Reform bill was on Governor Scott's desk, he vetoed it.It's now sitting...
Posted by Florida Alimony Reform on Monday, March 14, 2016

Open Letter to Florida Governor Rick Scott!

...by Men's Rights Group of Arizona

Our Open Letter to

Florida Governor Rick Scott

Please Sign Bill 668 For the Children of Florida

Dear Governor Scott,

The Men’s Rights Group of Arizona strongly urge you to sign SB 668. This Bill will bring Florida into the 21st Century with Alimony Reform and require shared parenting time.

Florida’s current Alimony Laws are archaic and more closely resemble the family and economic structures of the 1950’s than the realities of the many family forms of 2016. SB 668 will bring economic justice and equal opportunity to divorcing husbands and wives as well as enhancing harmony in the post-divorce family by attenuating conflicts over money.

Your state’s Bill (SB 668) is widely supported in your state and allow for a more equal shared parenting component currently missing in family law. The Men’s Rights Group of Arizona believe Family Law should follow sociological research. One of the most consistently and strongly replicated findings in family social science research is that the children of divorce fare best in family forms that maximize the involvement of both parents in the child’s life. The worst developmental outcomes come from single mother families which are supported by current women headed households.

In 2013, Arizona passed the first joint parenting law in the nation and it has been a great success. The Men's Rights Group of Arizona along with many other organizations have followed this new law and it showed children are thriving as compared to mother headed households.

We strongly encourage our members and others who believe in the necessity of such reforms to contact Governor Scott immediately at: www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor/ and/or Rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com , and/or 850-717-9337

Respectfully,

Richard Cassalata M.Ed., ABD

Director, Men’s Rights Group of Arizona LLC

Open Letter to Florida Governor Rick Scott!

...by Men's Rights Group of Arizona

Our Open Letter to

Florida Governor Rick Scott

Please Sign Bill 668 For the Children of Florida

Dear Governor Scott,

The Men’s Rights Group of Arizona strongly urge you to sign SB 668. This Bill will bring Florida into the 21st Century with Alimony Reform and require shared parenting time.

Florida’s current Alimony Laws are archaic and more closely resemble the family and economic structures of the 1950’s than the realities of the many family forms of 2016. SB 668 will bring economic justice and equal opportunity to divorcing husbands and wives as well as enhancing harmony in the post-divorce family by attenuating conflicts over money.

Your state’s Bill (SB 668) is widely supported in your state and allow for a more equal shared parenting component currently missing in family law. The Men’s Rights Group of Arizona believe Family Law should follow sociological research. One of the most consistently and strongly replicated findings in family social science research is that the children of divorce fare best in family forms that maximize the involvement of both parents in the child’s life. The worst developmental outcomes come from single mother families which are supported by current women headed households.

In 2013, Arizona passed the first joint parenting law in the nation and it has been a great success. The Men's Rights Group of Arizona along with many other organizations have followed this new law and it showed children are thriving as compared to mother headed households.

We strongly encourage our members and others who believe in the necessity of such reforms to contact Governor Scott immediately at: www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor/ and/or Rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com , and/or 850-717-9337

Respectfully,

Richard Cassalata M.Ed., ABD

Director, Men’s Rights Group of Arizona LLC

Florida foster care abuse attorney and life-long advocate for children's rights, will be honored with the University of Miami Law School

Howard M. Talenfeld

"No one sets out on their career in pursuit of such honors, so it's humbling to be recognized for the work my team and I have done on behalf of the voiceless victims in our community,"

He has been recognized for his efforts with The Florida Bar's "President's Award of Merit" and the Florida Bar President's Pro Bono Service Award for the 17th Judicial Circuit. In May, Talenfeld will receive the Professional Excellence Award from the Daily Business Review, and was a past recipient of its Most Effective Lawyer award in the Pro Bono category. He also received Legal Aid's Russell Carlisle Award for child advocacy law. He also is founding president of Florida's Children First, the state's preeminent non-profit that advocates for foster children and the developmentally disabled.

"Howard was a natural for this award. We're very proud of his pioneering work for children's causes," said Edward R. Shohat, a Miami attorney and president of the Law Alumni Association. "The association represents over 30,000 alumni around the world, and Howard is an excellent ambassador for the school."

"Howard exemplifies the characteristics and qualities that make for a great lawyer," added Todd S. Payne, past president of the Law Alumni Association and chair of its National Advisory Council. "When you match great lawyering skills with someone who serves others, particularly those less capable of helping themselves, that's a person deserving of recognition."

NO Presumption of a Right to Equal Time-Sharing

Florida Bill Addresses Equal Parenting Time When Parents Separate

Children of divorced parents are better adjusted when mom and dad get equal time with their kids. That is the conclusion and basis of a bill working its way through the Florida Legislature" Florida Legislature that would change the way courts calculate time-sharing when couples call it quits.

causes.com/causes/409526-children-s-rights

"I didn't like it. I didn't think it was right. I didn't think it was fair," said Terrence Bostic. It's the way he felt 28 years ago when the court made, what Bostic felt, was an unfair assumption that his now ex-wife should be awarded primary custody of their daughter.

"Because I thought, 'I was just as good a parent as she was, if not better.'" Three years later, Bostic's ex-wife moved away with their daughter. Three years after that, he went back to court to regain custody.

Now, under a proposed change to Florida's divorce law, judges may have a little leeway when giving divorcing parents anything other than equal time with their kids.

The assumption?

"That it is better for the children to have both parents equally involved in their lives," said Family Law Attorney Peter Farren with the Valrico law firm, Gallo Farren.

Farren posted the proposed change on his Facebook page Wednesday, and spoke with us about the pros and cons such a law could present.

On one hand, he says, it would give parents – often the father – a presumption of a right to equal time with their kids.

"We're definitely in different times now," said Farren, "And these generations of fathers are just as involved, in many cases, with their children."

But critics say in some cases the law will force couples back to court, asking a judge to amend their equal-parenting plan for several possible reasons.

Work schedules. Challenges getting the kids to school.

There are also more serious factors to consider, said Farren. "If there's a psychological issue, or a drug issue, or if one parent is just refusing to cooperate and communicate with the other parent."

The Senate bill’s sponsor provides that judges weighing time share would still be able to use the same 20 criteria they currently have at their disposal to decide what's in the children's interest.

The change, they say, would start with the presumption that an equal 50-50 split is what's best.

"I think you can't get any fairer than that," said Bostic, it would've been a lot easier on me."

The law would apply equally in cases where the parents are not married.

So far, the bill has moved its way through the State Senate, not get making its way to the House.

To see the full text of the proposed law, click here.

Supporters say equal time with parents is what's best for children of divorce.

Source: Bill addresses equal parenting time for divorced couples

View my Flipboard Magazine.

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Child custody and time-sharing; the relationship continues

Who is going to have custody of children when the couple separate or divorce? This decision has to be made along with, how the children will be taken care of and the visitation, the how of each parent spending time with the children. Relationships cause connectedness and there are orders to abide by. There are two types of custody orders.

There is Legal custody. The parent who has the custody will be important decision maker about the child’s health care, doctor, dentist, orthodontist, psychiatric, mental health counseling, therapy,education, religious activities or institutions, welfare, school, childcare, sports, summer camp, vacation, or extracurricular activities, travel, and place of residence.

There is also physical custody, ordering with whom the child will live. In joint custody the child can live with both. Under sole or primary custody the child will live with one parent much of the time and visits the other parent usually. There are cases of judges allowing parents joint legal custody and not joint physical custody, both parents share the responsibility in important decision making and the child lives with one parent and the other receives visitation right.

There is visitation plan to prevent and reduce confusion, anger and further conflict. Under supervised visitation, when the child's safety and well-being is at issue or if the child and the other parent would need gradual exposure, it is supervised by custodial parent, an adult, a professional agency or a mental health counselor. There is also a “no visitation” rule about that, even if with supervision, physical and/or emotional welfare of the child can be jeopardized. When visitation, custody or time share plan is drawn the above issues are clarified.

There are visitation guidelines, also known as time-share. Here a plan is set about how the both parents will share the time with the children. Either one (sole custody) or both parents (called shared custody) can have custody. Under normal circumstances, the judge consorts about arrangements with the parents and reaches a final decision about custody and visitation. If there is disagreement between the parents the judge will make that decision at a hearing. There is usually a mediator about custody and visitation. The family court services provide the mediator for the parents to reconcile.

Custody and visitation is decided considering the best interest of the child’s health, safety and wellbeing. Here history of abuse by either or both parents is considered.

Fathers should be present at birth.

In a world where absent fathers have become somewhat of a norm. Debrah Lewis provides viewers with some very insightful comments into why fathers might be absent throughout the life of their children. In this talk she outlines the role of the father in the childbirth process and the shortcomings of a system that does not offer fathers with opportunities to be fully engaged parents from birth to adulthood. We ask fathers to be involved in the life of their child, but deny them the right to be at the starting line, the birth. This talk asks to rethink the role of masculinity in the childbirth experience. 

Debrah Lewis is the first Vice President of the International Confederation of Midwives from the Caribbean. After receiving an MSc in Nurse-Midwifery from Columbia University in 1986, she worked in New York as a public and private practice midwife and also volunteered in Africa. Lewis' leadership led to the formation of the Caribbean Regional Midwifery Association and the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Midwives. She is passionate about strengthening the network of midwives in the Caribbean and ultimately, the world.

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