As a valuable human being in my community, I DENOUNCE actions that compromise the safety & wellbeing of children and families.

IN THIS:

 I SUPPORT strengthening the family as the fundamental unit of society and assert that violence towards children or spouse should never be condoned, but strongly rebuked.

 I AFFIRM that children are valuable and precious creations entitled to be nurtured and reared by their mothers in partnership with their fathers - as PARTNERS IN RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD (when applicable) under safe conditions.

 WE CONSIDER the removal of children from their loving, safe parents to be cruel, inhumane and a form of child maltreatment.

TO OPTIMIZE CHILD SAFETY & WELL-BEING, I SUPPORT a holistic, team-based approach whereby custody determinations involving child & family abuse might be managed by a panel of child-focused professionals. These may include: Marriage & family therapists, teachers, clergy, social workers, adult mental health professionals, child/adolescent behavior & developmental psychologists, family medicine physicians, pediatricians, judges and importantly, child abuse and domestic violence specialists.

I SUPPORT modifying state constitutions, where applicable, to allow the people's vote in election/retention of judges and broadening mandatory training requirements for state judges who determine family law matters. Such training must include: an understanding of family systems, human development across the lifespan, addiction & substance abuse disorders, personality disorders, behavioral assessment, domestic violence and child abuse education all with special consideration of ethnic & cultural variations specific to each area of training.

ADDITIONALLY,

• I SUPPORT improving the handling of child and family abuse reports & investigations, even during matters of custody & divorce.

• I SUPPORT enforcement of immunity laws protecting parents who report children's abuse disclosures to authority in order to protect their children.

• I STAND AGAINST removing children from trusted parents as punishment for making good faith reports of abuse (founded or unfounded) AND find these actions harmful to the well-being of children.

• I STAND AGAINST court ordered supervised visitation as penalty to parents trying to protect their children. I also OPPOSE the use of property tax contributions funding expansion of supervised visitation centers for this cause.

THEREFORE,

I support measures enabling the return of such children to their parents- also considered protective parents.

I SUSTAIN this petition,