SENSITIZING PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONCERNS: The Perspective of the New York State Parent Education Advisory Board

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1617.2005.00012.x
• Date: 01 January 2005
• Published date: 01 January 2005
• Author: Hon. Evelyn Frazee

FAMILY COURT REVIEW, Vol. 43 No. 1, January 2005 124–135

© 2005 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.Oxford, UKFCREFamily Court Review1531-2445© Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 2004431Original Article

Frazee / SENSITIZING PARENT EDUCATIONFAMILY COURT REVIEW

SENSITIZING PARENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONCERNS:

The Perspective of the New York State Parent

Education Advisory Board

Hon. Evelyn Frazee

Education programs for divorcing and separating parents are a valuable vehicle for providing to parents the

awareness, knowledge, and skills that can lead to a smoother transition and healthier outcomes for their children.

Attention to safety concerns in referral guidelines, administrative protocols, and curriculum content is integral

to the efficacious and responsible delivery of parent education. This article examines the recent experience of

New York State in developing guidelines for safety and quality assurance in parent education programs.

Keywords:

parent education

;

safety

;

quality assurance

;

courts

BACKGROUND

Parent education has existed in New York State since the 1980s, with programs devel-

oped through the grassroots efforts of people from various disciplines. Until recently, there

was no systemic development or oversight of parent education programs. Recognizing that

the interests of children whose parents are appearing before the court in divorce, separation,

or child custody and visitation litigation would be well served by educating parents about

a child’s emotional needs and the effects of family restructuring on a child’s development,

New York State’s Chief Judge, Judith S. Kaye, launched, in 2001, the New York State Parent

Education and Awareness Program. The Chief Judge’s initiative seeks to foster the avail-

ability of parent education throughout New York State, make judges aware of parent educa-

tion and its benefits, clarify judicial authority to refer parents to these programs, and

encourage greater and more uniform utilization of this resource by court-involved parents.

Due to the tacit approval of parent education programs that is inferred from the court’s

referral of parents to parent education and the need to ensure program quality, profession-

alism, safety, and accountability, the Chief Judge indicated that parent education programs

must meet certain standards to accept court-referred parents.

Creation of these standards was assigned to the Parent Education Advisory Board

(Board).

1

The nineteen members of the Board were selected by the Chief Judge and Chief

Administrative Judge to include professionals from around the state with diverse experi-

ences, backgrounds, and perspectives. Represented on the Board membership are the

following fields and disciplines: pediatric medicine; child and adolescent psychiatry and

psychology; family life science; social work; domestic violence awareness and prevention;

matrimonial and family law; law guardians; and the Family, Supreme, and Appellate Court

judiciary.

2

This initiative was enabled by an Administrative Order of the Chief Administra-

tive Judge of the Courts (hereinafter Administrative Order) which provided guidance for the

Board’s work.

3