Welcome to Pennsylvania Families' and Children's Equality

9.3.2010 - The "Domestic Relations Association of PA" noted that PA was mentioned in a recent article by the state of Oregon - mentioning how "Oregon needs to measure up to PA in terms of effectiveness in collecting support." 

Oregon states that "if efforts were made to match Pennsylvania, an additional $70-million a year would be brought in to keep children out of poverty"  Don't they mean the state will be more profitable via TITLE 4D Funding???  Read the article on their site here.

 End of PA State Legislative Session - Election Season

Good News: For the second time in recent legislative history, much needed child custody reform legislation has passed out of one of the two bodies of the our state legislature.

Bad News:  Unfortunately with time running out in this current session, it looks like the child custody reform initiative will die with no corrective action taken.

What needs to be done: Please contact your state representatives and the candidates and determine what their position is on the reform of child custody statutes.  Please get back to us with the details.  We intend to publish the candidates responses on our website.  This is the only way that this issue will become a legislative priority.  Although aware of the need for reform, our state legislature has failed to take action on this important issue for over a decade.  The time is now!!!

Please use the following links to find out who your representatives are:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/find.cfm

New page created - informational series :

PAFACE is proud to announce their tribute to the PA Domestic Violence Coalition.  Please check this out as we show stories to disprove their theory that "putting children back in the hands of men will be putting the children back in the hands of aggressors!" quoted on 2/4/2010 - Harrisburg PA - during the state sub-committee hearings on family law.  The stories below are only the beginning of what we will present.  Check back often for new stories as they come along.

9.3.2010 - 4 year old (undersized) girl found dead in crib in Brooklyn, NY.  Mother tied special needs child to crib with twine and jump rope.  Child needed use of oxygen machine.  Mother waited 3 hours before calling 911.  click here for the story.

8.20.2010 - Woman arrested for arson after burning down 12 homes in Germantown Pa related to a domestic issue against former boyfriend - click here for story.

8.20.2010 - From CNN.COM - "What Drives a Mom to KILL their own children"...  Please read the investigative story here.

8.18.2010 - Mom smothers her two young boys to death with bare hands over parenting fight with grandmother.  Click here for the story.

8.13.2010 - Top Headline from today's Bucks County Courier Times -

Female gambler leaves kids in car at Parx Casino for 6 hours! 

Click here for the story!

8.12.2010 - FOX newshost Bill O'Reilly defends fatherhood to actress Jennifer Aniston - who believes you dont need a father around to raise a child.

Click here for the story!

7.22.2010 - Watch this recent Judge Judy episode where a woman is dressed down for abusing the system by filing a false PFA, damaging the boyfriends house, and non-notification of a custody hearing!  This judge gets it!

Click here for part 1 of the YouTube Video!

Click here for part 2 of the YouTube Video!

7.22.2010 - Mother in Texas strangles and kills her 2 young autistic children.  Sad story.  But what is even more sad is that the "So called PA Coalition of Domestic Violence" stated on February 4th 2010 in Harrisburg PA -  that a presumption of joint physical custody means "Putting the children back in the hands of aggressors!"  Noting that only men are the aggressors.  This story clearly indicated that both genders are capable of horrific acts.

It is our hope that the coalition reads this story and provides an explaination to PAFACE as how men are viewed in the public eye as the only aggressors.

Click here for the story!

Jon Gosselin calls Kate an "absentee mom" and files for full custody in Berks County.  Read the story here.

6.14.2010 - HOUSE BILL 1639 moves to the State Senate with unanimous vote in the house today.  Pa is one step closer to laws that will make both parents equal.  Here is what the Associated Press (AP) has reported:

The House voted unanimously in favor of a set of changes to Pennsylvania's child custody procedures. The prime sponsor, Rep. Kathy Manderino, D-Philadelphia, said the goal was to make the process fairer and would prevent judges from assuming that one parent or the other should get custody, based on their gender. Courts would have to factor in, among other things, the likelihood of maintaining frequent contact with the other parent, stability and continuity for the child's schooling and community life and access to other family members. Judges, for the first time, would have to explain their custody decisions. "In most cases, even when parents are divorced or separated, it is best for the child if both parents remain deeply involved in caring for and raising the child," Manderino said. The measure was sent to the Senate. (House Bill 1639)

Monday, June 14, 2010, Dr. James C. Wadley - Scheduled Presenter at the BUCKS Meeting.

Dr. Wadley is scheduled to present to our group. He is an instructor at West Chester University and a practicing counselor. He is presently looking for interview subjects to share their experience as non-custodial parents for a publication that he is preparing.  If you are interested - please drop by our location at Panera's Bread - Langhorne PA.

New Support Guidelines for PA support is now in play.  To recalculate your figures and see how this affects you - goto the "Support Calculator" link.

This is a group made up of parents who are going (or have gone) through issues which you may be facing right now. The group doesn't provide legal advice but rather relies on each other's experiences to help each other. This self-help support group will help you with your questions on: 

Children's Rights, Father's Rights, Mother's Rights, Parent's Rights, Shared Parenting, Child Custody, Child Visitation, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Non-custodial Parents Rights, Extended Families' Rights, understanding or interpreting Pennsylvania family law and who to contact in the Pennsylvania family court system.

So to get real advice from other parents just click here to find a chapter near you or call the hotline at (877) 4PAFACE or (877) 472-3223.

Families' and Children’s Equality (FACE) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization. FACE was founded in 1978 for the purpose of advocating children’s rights to full access to both parents and their extended families, and providing a self-help support group for non-custodial and/or non-residential parents.