Parental Rights Foundation; A Bridge Across the Aisle for Families

Last week, I attended the American Legislative Exchange Council’s (ALEC) annual States and Nation Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, to present a model policy on Family Separations.

ALEC is a cooperative of conservative state lawmakers and private entities like the Parental Rights Foundation, who meet to discuss and shape model policies for state legislation. Based on its conservative focus, it is unashamedly Republican.

Our model policy on Family Separations, on the other hand, was drafted by a bipartisan coalition, including members from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the American Bar Association (ABA), working closely with members from PRF and the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF).

The aim and strength of this Coalition to End Hidden Foster Care is to remove partisan barriers and put forth policies both sides can agree on. And my trip to ALEC proves that we are reaching that goal.

As I said, several left-leaning lawyers were an integral part of drafting this model bill. There are lawyers whose organizations would never be allowed to join ALEC—and who would never want to. In terms of partisan politics, ALEC would be their enemy.

But on the issue of parental rights and family defense, we are all on the same page.

As a member of both the Coalition to End Hidden Foster Care and ALEC, and as someone welcome on the political right, I had the privilege of serving as the “bridge across the aisle,” taking our model from one group to the other.

In practical terms, that looked like talking to lawmakers about our model last week, then presenting it before a “task force” (committee) on Health & Human Services, where it was put to a vote.

I didn’t hide the fact that the proposal was bipartisan. In fact, I find that one of the highlights of our model: it has already been vetted by both sides, with all the potential “red flags” taken out.

At the end of the day, our model received unanimous support, both from the public sector (elected legislators from various states) and the private sector (other nonprofits and for-profit corporations who are also members of ALEC). It is still listed on ALEC’s website as a “draft” model, but that will change in the next week or so as their IT team makes the updates from the conference.

 

So, what does our model say?

Our model covers instances where the state’s (or local) child welfare agency is involved with a family and suggests a Voluntary Placement Agreement. Such agreements are increasingly popular since the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act in 2018 as a means to prevent foster care. But in many states, they are ripe for coercion and abuse since they do not involve any kind of court oversight or data tracking (leading to the unofficial title, “Hidden Foster Care”).

This kind of prevention certainly has its benefits: Instead of being removed to foster care with strangers, the children are moved to the home of a relative or close friend chosen by the parents. This means less trauma and disruption for the child. And the parents don’t have to go to court to defend themselves, either.

But, again, there is the potential for problems, such as pitting parents against the very kin they chose to provide the childcare, and the fact that there is no judge involved to make sure things are done properly.

That’s where our model comes in. It includes a section to make sure the parent’s rights are being protected—rights to have the details in writing, to know the aims and time limits of the separation, to rescind their agreement to the arrangement at any time, to have a lawyer advise them, and so on. This section makes sure the arrangement is truly voluntary, not coerced, and that it is designed to serve the family’s needs rather than the agency’s convenience.

It also includes a section to protect the rights of the affected children, such as a right to know what’s happening, to have a say (depending on their age) in the details, and to keep disruptions of their life to a minimum. (This means a family member in their same school district or close to their same church community would be a better choice than a family member two counties away.)

And there’s even a section to protect the rights of the caregivers, including the right to say “no” in the immediate timeframe, but to still be considered as a potential placement later on if the circumstances change.

Texas passed a similar law in 2023; the lawmakers who passed it and are members of ALEC were notably supportive of our model. They understand from their own experience the need for these reforms to protect families at their most vulnerable time.

I am proud to present this model for the coming legislative session and will work with lawmakers in any state who want to bring it to the floor. And I am especially proud to be the bridge across the aisle to make sure this important work gets done.

Thank you for standing with us and empowering us to build bridges to protect families by securing parental rights!

Posted in Reports, Updates and tagged legislation, parental rights, updates

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My testimony to four Florida Judges about the abuses I suffered in Miami-Dade Family Court

 

This is the problem

 This is the problem.  

Men and fathers lose everything. Everything in family court.  All it takes is one false allegation and the man is forced from his assets and more importantly his children. 

It’s encouraged by family law attorneys to file those false allegations because it makes it a slam dunk the man can NOT come back from.  

We only have three states that have even attempted to start fixing these issues with 50/50 shared parenting laws on the books. Kentucky. Arkansas. West Virginia.  

Only one of those states has the gold standard of clear and convincing evidence.  In the beginning of Johnny Depps case he was crushed with a restraining order for abuse and he was the victim here.  

No one sees a problem with this? Nobody wants to fix it? We’re okay with this happening to millions and millions of men a year in family courts? 

Yes we are aware it happens to women also. It predominately happens to men and fathers because the laws are archaic and discriminatory. 

Change is coming.  

Kenneth Rosa 

Media Personality

A Father's Anguish

In my life I've seen the heavy toll that divorce and separation can take - psychologically, emotionally, and financially. I've been extensively involved in divorce and paternity litigation and witnessed the way a non-custodial parent, especially fathers, are often forced to abandon all hopes of equitable rights wen it comes to their children.

It was difficult to write this.

Although my experiences with judges, lawyers, and court-ordered therapists during my own hi-conflict divorce and paternity proceedings left me outraged over the injustices are endemic to the family law system in our society.

So I had no desire to revisit them.

The pain I suffer, the fear, and anger I felt (and still feel) toward nearly all the principals involved, and the inescapable sense of hopelessness and isolation exhausted me. However, to live inside the family court matrix, to be engaged in that battle, ultimately means, to be poised to tell my story, to make make my point, to argue my side at a moments notice. It is a fire that is constantly burning.

 This is an issue that impacts all citizens everywhere. There is a serious problem and health risk in the family courts that ''we the people'' depend on to protect us.

My family court cases are not unique. But what is unique is that I just happen to be the first US citizen (according to a Federal Judge) declared disabled (determined through expert testimony)  because of the family courts. In 2016 I began receiving disability benefits because of a diagnosed ''injury'' called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Legal Abuse Syndrome) as the result of fraudulent and abusive legal proceedings in connection to the family court system.

I'm suffering from Legal Abuse Syndrome a sub-category of PTSD specifically from abusive legal proceedings. It's no different than combat trauma or PTSD in victims of torture. In fact it is diagnosed on the same MMPI sub-scale.

My case is still open and haven't seen my daughter again in almost four years. The wound still remains open.

Let me stress that PTSD(LAS) is an inflicted injury - NOT A MENTAL ILLNESS!!! It's an assault behind the judicial curtains where no one hears you - let alone the judge.

Strangely enough after reaching the point where they (the Family Courts) had burned my rights to the ground leaving no hope of a fair hearing, remedy, and or redress; all denied and out of reach.

I did not despair. Instead I reached the point of empowerment and became a top father's rights activist and found my voice to be revolutionary. That's what happens under tyranny...just look at history.

A court-inflicted injury on those it is supposed to protect should be cause for alarm among all citizens!!

I AM MY DAUGHTER AND SON'S FATHER -- A FIT FATHER!!