New expectancies for N.J. Family Court reform

Societies and families have evolved, so why shouldn’t our Family Court laws reflect these evolutions?

This is the question that Family Advocate Network Political Action Committee (FAN-PAC) asked at a recent rally in Newark.

“The Family Court is not meeting the needs of those it is meant to serve and whose interests it is supposed to protect. In specific, our children,” states FAN-PAC President and Founder Rafael Franco.

Formed in October 2017, FAN-PAC wants to update the Family Court laws in Trenton, which they say are ambiguous and no longer support children and families.

Thus, FAN-PAC has introduced two bills, A-1091 and S-273, which have many supporters.

“These bills are designed to encourage cooperation by both parents rather than a parent vs. parent dynamic,” notes FAN-PAC.

A current problem FAN-PAC recognizes is that the Family Court has cases where it picks a “’winning’” parent and a “‘losing’” parent when called upon to make custody decisions.

FAN-PAC believes that picking a winning parent means that the children always lose, because children usually need both parents.

And such was a reason behind the FAN-PAC rally, where they were “advocating for policies in Trenton to create a system better suited to recognize the critical role the Family Court plays in meeting the needs of all children in New Jersey regardless of the family structure,” Franco states.

The legislators also want the court to understand the needs of the 21^st century families instead of being guided by a 1950s view of the family.

“Gone are the days where dad worked from 9-5; mom stayed home with the children. Now, it is more likely both parents work out of the home,” Franco explains.

He also addressed the fact that New Jersey, like many other states, allows for LGBTQ couples to marry and have children nowadays, unlike the times of the 1950s.

Franco believes that “reform is not only about today’s parents who have experienced dysfunction in the court; the true need for reform lies in the next generation of moms and dads,” he says.

He thinks that the future generations should be given tools to deal with adult issues, and that they will need to exhibit the right behaviors when they are married and have children of their own.

Children who are free to love and be loved by both parents, “are less likely to try to pit parents against each other,” he states.

FAN-PAC believes there are global benefits and better outcomes for children who are not exposed to the conflicts and trauma of divorce.

Some benefits include:

• Children who are better behaved because they know the lines of communication between parents are open.
• Children who are more successful both academically and socially.
• Children who are less likely to suffer from depression and are generally happier.
• Children are more satisfied with their living arrangements
• They have higher feelings of self-worth
• They feel more positively about the impact of the divorce on their lives.

Franco states that all of society benefits when we meet the needs of our children, because they are our most valuable natural resources.