Dear Members, It has been a pleasure to serve as editor of the AFCC-CA newsletter for the last two years. This is the last newsletter I will serve as editor and I wanted to thank you for your interest as well as submissions for publication. One of my goals as editor was to have the newsletter reflect our diverse membership as well as areas of interest to the members. Our chapter brings together professionals from […]
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Join Us in Costa Mesa for the 2019 AFCC-CA Conference February 22-24!
In February 2019, AFCC’s California Chapter will present an interdisciplinary dialogue on When Civility Breaks Down: Consequences and Solutions for Families and Professionals. The conference will explore the causes of the breakdown of civility and seek solutions for families in crisis as a result of the end of a marriage or relationship, custody disputes, domestic violence and similar problems. An understanding of the complex stressors faced by families, children and custody professionals will create a […]
Read MoreManaging Special Needs Issues in Child Custody Disputes Practical Strategies in Changing Times
Disputes regarding children with special needs are becoming increasingly common in child custody cases. Disagreements about the child’s care and needs may be presented to the court as urgent matters or in fragmented form, with the suggestion that one parent must be marginalized in order for the child to receive necessary services. In other cases, parental conflict may risk harming the child by delaying services that are time sensitive or urgently needed. External providers unfamiliar […]
Read MoreThe Reviews Are In: San Francisco Conference was a Hit!
We are very pleased to report that our chapter’s San Francisco conference in February was a great success in all respects: attendance; venue; quality of workshops and institutes. The conference theme, “EVOLUTION AND INNOVATION: The Art and Science of Solutions for Families in Conflict” inspired high quality proposals, and based on informal feedback, as well as the course evaluations, the workshops themselves did not disappoint. Reflecting current research trends and interests, workshops included new approaches […]
Read MoreAFCC-CA President’s Message
Fellow AFCC-CA members. It is a great honor for me to be elected as President of the California Chapter of AFCC. We have an exciting two years ahead of us and I want to give you a glimpse of some of the coming attractions, introduce you to the fantastic board members that AFCC-CA members have supporting us in creating a dynamic Chapter, and congratulate the AFCC-CA 2018 conference committee for a conference that was second […]
Read MoreSAFE FROM SANCHEZ
In People v. Sanchez (2016) 63 Cal.4th 665, the California Supreme Court clarified the application of the hearsay rule to information contained in the testimony of an expert at trial. In short the ruling holds that while experts may testify to general background information in their field, when they relate (or rely on) case specific out of court statements that they are relying on as true, those statements are hearsay and cannot be admitted. If the […]
Read MoreUpdate on the AFCC-CA Mentorship Program
The AFCC-CA mentorship program continues to gain momentum, and take form and shape. Specifically, at the AFCC-CA February 2017 conference, the importance of professional mentorship was underscored during Plenary 3: “Streamlining Family Courts and Custody Evaluations: What Needs to Change.” Also, it was noteworthy that the AFCC-CA membership got an opportunity to hear firsthand about many of the challenging dilemmas and scenarios that early career custody evaluators and “custody evaluators-in-training” face in their work and […]
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