SUMMARY
Abigail worked with Iowa Center for Children’s Justice as the Family Law Continuing Education Fellow to design a six-hour continuing legal education program on Resist, Refuse, and Reunify dynamics for family court personnel such as judges, lawyers, and mental health professionals on issues that deeply affect children in family disputes including: child refusal of contact with a parent; divorce as an adverse childhood experience; the effect of substance use on families and children; and the effects of domestic violence and coercive control on children to support a child-focused approach to understanding and resolving family law programs.
OVERVIEW
Researched the complexities of parental alienation and estrangement to understand the effects it had on children
Interviewed district judges, family law lawyers, and mental health professionals within the greater Des Moines area to assess high-conflict family dynamics and disconnects between the three professions to inform program development
Observed court hearings to gain insight on courtroom procedures
IMPACT
In 2021 alone, there were 6,422 initial dissolution of marriage with children cases filed in Iowa, not including any modification or custody cases where the parents were not married. Abigail’s work is projected to impact hundreds of youth in the greater Des Moines area.
In this blog, Abigail shares her passion for family law, social work, and how it lead her to her FLIA fellowship.