What is Family Court Awareness Month?

November is Family Court Awareness Month

Every November, advocates, survivors, protective parents, attorneys, lawmakers, and community leaders across the United States come together to shine a spotlight on one of the most consequential — and least visible — corners of our judicial system: family court.

Family Court Awareness Month exists because every year, an estimated 58,000 children are ordered by family courts into unsupervised contact with a parent who has been identified as abusive. These are not abstract statistics. They are children living with trauma, and in the most devastating cases, children who are murdered.

"Every year, survivors of domestic abuse step into family court believing it will bring safety and justice — but too often, they are met with institutional betrayal."

Family Court Awareness Month is a call to action: for better judicial training, for evidence-based decision-making, and for a system that genuinely puts children first.

The cost of inaction

Children We Remember

Family Court Awareness Month was founded to honor children who lost their lives because a family court failed to protect them. Their names fuel this movement.

Dr. Odum with Clara at the US Capitol Reflecting Pool — bringing every child into the national conversation

At the US Capitol — bringing every child into the conversation that determines their fate

Age at death 5 "Piqui" Andressian California family court failure

Age at death 7 Kayden Mancuso Pennsylvania family court failure

Age at death 2 Kyra Franchetti New York family court failure

Age at death 4 Greyson Kessler Florida family court failure

These children — and hundreds more — were murdered by a parent after a custody court rejected the other parent's plea for protection. Their lives, and the lives of all children harmed by family court failures, are the reason this month exists.

Growing momentum

Nationwide Recognition

366 jurisdictions publicly committed to child safety in family court in 2022 alone

Alabama · Arizona · Colorado · Kentucky · Maryland · Michigan · Nebraska · New Hampshire · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Texas · Utah · Vermont · Wisconsin · West Virginia — and hundreds of cities and counties across the country

$Community members in hot pink gathering outside Wayne County Clerk of Superior Court$

Community members gather outside the Wayne County Clerk of Superior Court in support of family court reform

Since the inaugural Family Court Awareness Month in November 2020, mayors, county commissioners, and governors across the country have signed proclamations and resolutions officially declaring November as Family Court Awareness Month in their communities. This growing coalition represents a public commitment: that child safety in the family court system is not a fringe concern — it is a mainstream civic priority.

If your city has not yet issued a proclamation, we can help you make that happen. Every declaration sends a message that your community takes this seriously.

The core problem

Family Court Professionals Need Proper Training

Family court judges and professionals make life-altering decisions every day about children's safety, custody arrangements, and exposure to violence. Yet most states do not require that judges receive comprehensive training on the very topics they rule on.

In at least one state, barbers and cosmetologists are required to complete more hours of domestic violence training than the judges who determine child custody outcomes.

Family Court Awareness Month calls for mandatory, meaningful training across all areas that affect child safety in family court proceedings, including:

Domestic violence Child sexual abuse Physical abuse Emotional abuse Childhood trauma Coercive control Post-separation abuse Victim behavior Perpetrator behavior

The research to support better decisions already exists. The ACEs Study, the Meier Study, the Saunders Study, and the Santa Clara Law Study all provide evidence-based frameworks that should be standard tools in every family court. The problem is not a lack of research — it is a failure to use it.

Often invisible, always harmful

Post-Separation Abuse

When survivors leave abusive relationships, many assume that the danger is behind them. For those who enter the family court system, the danger often intensifies.

Post-separation abuse is the continuation — and often escalation — of abusive behavior through the mechanisms of family court itself: weaponized litigation, false allegations, violations of protective orders, and court-ordered contact that places survivors and children directly back in harm's way.

"Post-separation abuse is often more painful than the abuse suffered during the relationship — because it is carried out through a system that is supposed to protect you."

Family Court Awareness Month is committed to educating judges, attorneys, and the public about the dynamics of post-separation abuse — so that courts stop becoming tools of continued harm.

Coalition

Organizations Behind This Movement

Dr. Kreslyn Barron Odum at Georgia Commission on Family Violence event with GCADV

Dr. Odum at the Georgia Commission on Family Violence kickoff event with GCADV

Family Court Awareness Month was co-founded in 2020 by Tina Swithin of One Mom's Battle and Sandra Ross of the California Protective Parents Association. Today, Family Court Awareness Month is directed by Dr. Kreslyn Barron Odum and operates as an initiative of The Barron Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Georgia, in coalition with organizations dedicated to protecting children and survivors in the family court system.

One Mom's Battle
California Protective Parents Association
Georgia Protective Parents
Florida Protective Parents Association
The National Family Violence Law Center
The Court Said USA
Piqui's Justice
Kayden's Korner Foundation
Kyra Franchetti Foundation