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Protecting Children When a Parent Has a Substance Abuse Disorder

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “A substance use disorder (SUD) is a mental disorder that affects a person’s brain and behavior, leading to a person’s inability to control their use of substances such as legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, or medications. Symptoms can range from moderate to severe, with addiction being the most severe form of SUDs.”[1] When a parent has a SUD, the parent-child dynamic is always affected to some degree.

In fact, research studies indicate that the children in these situations have an “ elevated risk that children of substance abusing parents face in general for poorer academic functioning; emotional, behavioral, and social problems; and an earlier onset of substance use, faster acceleration in substance use patterns, and higher rates of alcohol and drug use disorders.”[2]

So, obviously, this is an important issue in child custody cases, with or without an accompanying divorce. What are some of the ways that courts address these situations? That is the subject of today’ blog post.

Protecting children from the adverse effects discussed above is the primary goal of the courts in these situations. And, it should be the primary goal of both parents. The issue that typically arises first is a recognition of the problem by both parents. The parent having the SDU often will not recognize that his/her substance abuse is, indeed, a problem for the children. That parent may defensively opine that the “real problem” is with the other parent, who is “too uptight,” or who “just needs to relax (or chill).”

If that SUD remains unrecognized by that parent, then a court order will, likely, be required, to put into place protective measures. Those measures may include: limiting the possession (“visitation”) time of the parent abusing the substance(s). If, for example, that parent has a habit of drinking alcohol in excess during the evening and night hours, then his or her right to possession of the children may be limited to daytime hours. Or, if a parent smokes marijuana on weekends, then his or her possession rights may be limited to just weekday periods. Texas courts have broad authority, and indeed, an express duty, to enter orders that both protect children, and that are in the best interest of those children who come before them.

In the case where the parent having the SUD apparently addresses the problem, by refraining from using those substances previously abused by him or her, the other parent and the court may want to be able to confirm that the person is remaining clean and sober. And so, drug tests may be ordered.[3] If the substance being abused was alcohol, then the court may order that the parent with the problem subscribe to a service that provides a pocket-sized alcohol testing device. Times can be set for testing, such as: 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the parent’s possession period; 2 hours after the possession period begins; early the next morning (if the visit is overnight). Additionally, the right to random testing requests by the other parent may be ordered.

The goal of providing structure to these possession periods is not to “punish” a parent. Instead, it is to work towards providing a safer environment for children. After all, isn’t that the most important issue?

Until next time, keep on loving the kids in your life!

~David

 

[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/substance-use-and-mental-health#:~:text=A%20substance%20use%20disorder%20(SUD,most%20severe%20form%20of%20SUDs.

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3676900/

[3] Urine, hair, and nail tests are currently used in the jurisdictions where I practice law. This series of tests gives a broad picture of use, both recently and over the course of the past few months.

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Parenting with a High-Conflict Ex (Part 4)

Initial Steps That You Can Take

In the first three articles of the series, we have discussed things to do, along with what to avoid, when attempting to parent a child(ren) with someone who is disrespectful, rude, or dismissive of you and your parenting preferences. A review of those articles (Part 1 , Part 2, and Part 3 of this series) will bring you up-to-speed on good ground rules and practices that you should be using, if you find yourself in this situation.

Additional Help for You

When dealing with a high-conflict person, it is reasonable to expect that some level of parental conflict will likely remain, since such people tend to be relentless in their demands for unilateral control of their children. You must decide whether that level of conflict is manageable and, thus, acceptable; or, whether more needs to be done to manage the situation. If you decide that you would like for more to be done to resolve the conflict, then an often-effective process is to have the court appoint a Parent Facilitator (a neutral, third-party expert) to work with the parents on identifying problems, and implementing solutions.[1]

Court requirements of the Parents

When the court appoints a Parent Facilitator, both parents are Ordered to attend meetings with the Parent Facilitator, and to meaningfully participate in the facilitation process. This is important, because the high-conflict parent will almost certainly resist having anyone else discuss parenting issues with him or her. They usually are convinced that they know best, and anyone trying to discuss parenting with them is “interfering.”  And so, they should be ordered by the court to attend, and to meaningfully participate in that process.

What if One Parent Refuses to Participate?

If one of the parents, usually the high-conflict one, refuses to follow the court’s Order, then what happens? One advantage of a Parent Facilitator over a Parent Coordinator is that the Parent Facilitator will be required to submit reports to the court, which will discuss: his or her efforts to schedule facilitation meetings with the parents; whether progress is being made in those meetings; whether the process should continue, and so on.[2] Knowing that to be the case, both parents usually will be motivated to attend meetings, discuss parenting issues, and work on implimenting solutions, so that the Parent Facilitator’s report will not reflect a lack of participation by that parent (although the high-conflict parent will initially probably “discuss” how the other parent is bad or wrong, and how that other parent should just accept and appreciate the wisdom of the high-conflict parent). The court, of course, has various remedies to mandate that either its Orders are followed, or significant consequences occur, such as a finding of contempt-of court, and/or a change to the Orders pertaining to the parents and child.

When can a Parent Facilitator be Appointed?

The Texas Family Code provides that in order for a court to appoint a Parenting Facilitator, the court must determine that the case is either a high-conflict one, or that there exists good cause for such appointment. And, as with all Orders pertaining to children, the court must find that   that the appointment is in the best interest of the child. This determination by the court may be made following an agreement of the parties presented to the court, or after a hearing is set, and testimony, along with other evidence, is presented to the court.

Conclusion

Today, we discussed the basics of having a neutral, third-party expert, a Parent Facilitator, assist the parties manage their parenting relationship when it is high-conflict. In the next post, we will delve into the specific procedures and techniques used in that process, and what you can expect to occur in Parent Facilitation.


[1] State such as Texas allow judges to make these appointments in certain circumstances (one of those circumstances is when the case is found by the court to be high conflict.

[2] The other difference between the two (2) positions is that a parenting facilitator may also monitor the parties’ compliance with court orders.

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