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COOPERATIVE PARENTING FOR
DIVIDED FAMILIES/GROUP’S INITIATIVE
619 N. Murtland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
24 - HOUR HOTLINE
(412) 404-8514
E-mail: coparenting@yahoo.com
PA
Senate Brochure on Visitation &
50/50 joint custody HB888
Fathers
helping parents with court issues:
The National Congress for Fathers and Children
(NCFC)
Kevin Sheahen (412) 571-3038
Peaceful
resolution of issues during separation/divorce for the best interest of the
children:
Cooperative Parenting for Divided Families
(CPDF)
Denise Simpson (412) 404-8514
Empowering
father’s
Coalition for Fathering Families (CFF)
Larry D. Davis (412) 560-2990
Cooperative
Parenting for Divided Families
619 N. Murtland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
412-404-8514
Email: coparenting@yahoo.com
www.cpdf.pghfree.net
Children have the right to be $upport and to
have equal access to both parents: its
the law.
NCFC
and CPDF are Non -Profit 501(c) 3 organizations which are the results of a
Failed court system. Working in the best interest for the children of
Pennsylvania.
From the local, national and international
level to insure children have equal access love, and $upport of both parents.
Working
to enforce PA Statutes, To make the court system, judges, lawyers, and
hearing officers, accountable where there is no accountability.
Pennsylvania
family Courts not making the grades.
Failing Families
Child First
Best interest of the child
Shared Parenting
50/50 Equal access
Enforce visitation
Liberal visitation for both parents
Uncooperative
Insensitive Custodial Parents
No accountability of officials
Gender bias in family division
Unfair domestic Relations
Pro-Se friendly
NCFC, President Kevin Sheahen
testimony to the Pa Senate on Joint Custody
Pennsylvania’s custody statutes are gender
neutral and support parental involvement by both parents. As stated in the
Title 23, Chapter 5301:
". . . it is public policy of this
Commonwealth, when in the best interests of the child, to assure a reasonable
and continuing contact of the child with both parents after a separation or
dissolution of the marriage and the sharing of the rights and
responsibilities of child rearing by both parents . . .".
Similarly in Chapter 5303 (a) provides: Award
of custody, partial custody or visitation; General Rule:
"In making an order for custody, partial
custody or visitation to either parent,
the court shall consider, among other factors,
which parent is more likely to
encourage, permit and allow frequent and
continuing contact and physical
access between the non-custodial parent and
the child."
Pennsylvania further has recently defined how
much time the non-custodial parent should be spending with his or her
children. Pennsylvania’s support guidelines can be found in Pennsylvania’s
Rules of Court, Rule 1910.16-4; Explanatory Comment-1998.
". . . the Committee (Pennsylvania Supreme
Court Domestic Relations
Committee) has designated 30% time as the
routine arrangement (for non-custodial parents with their children) . .
.".
The family courts of Pennsylvania, both at the
trial and appellate levels,
do not apply the statutes for the amount of
parental contact between
the non-custodial parent and the child.
Instead, Pennsylvania courts
routinely award only every other weekend, or
15% of available time
between the non-custodial parent asserting by
implication and contrary
to our statutes, that nominal contact is in
the best interests of children.
The Common Pleas courts and the Superior Court
call such limited
access "liberal visitation".
Pennsylvania’s courts do not enforce Title 23,
Chapter 5303, which relates to cooperation and willingness to provide access
of the children to the non-custodial parent. The term "visitation"
is used both by the public and by the courts when defining the time a
non-custodial parent is with his or her child. This term "visitation"
degrades the critically important contribution both
parents provide to their children’s
psychological welfare. Use of such
an emotionally charged term is a form of
discrimination to the non-custodial parent. It also is not what the statute
definition of visitation implies. Visitation, as defined by Pennsylvania’s
statute, is "the right to visit a child. The term does not include the
right to remove
a child from the custodial parent’s
control" The courts should be using
the proper definitions, such as partial
custody or shared custody. In recognition of the powerful nature of
derogatory terms, especially when used to stereotype and demean classes of
individuals who are the victims of discrimination, many states have substituted
the term
"parenting time" in order to impress
on the courts that children want, need, and deserve a meaningful relationship
with both parents.
Kevin
Sheahen ,P.E. Pittsburgh Chapter President
Greater Pittsburgh Chapter of National
Congress
for Fathers and Children
37 Seneca Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15241
(412) 571-3038
fax: (412) 835-1362
National Hot Line: 1-800-SEE-DADS
E-mail: pghdads@aol.com
dds/cpdf
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