Family Court Awareness Month: One Size Does Not Fit All

When I created Family Court Awareness Month, it came from one simple truth: there is no one size fits all approach to the family court crisis. Every story is unique, but the patterns are painfully familiar.

Behind the curtain, there are parents who have done everything possible to protect their children, only to find themselves punished for it. Survivors who are isolated, silenced, and labeled as high conflict simply for attempting to protect their children.

Family Court Awareness Month was created to give those voices a place to be heard.

We need awareness at every level

We need awareness in our communities because so many survivors are suffering in silence. Most people have no idea how dangerous and unregulated family court can be until they are standing in front of a judge. Awareness gives people language for what is happening to them. It helps the rest of the world recognize that this crisis is not rare. It is widespread.

Teachers, therapists, doctors, neighbors, and friends need to understand that when a protective parent says “the system is unsafe,” they are not exaggerating. They are describing a reality that many never see.

We need a system that prioritizes child safety

Family court should protect children, not place them in harm’s way. If there is any question about safety, the system should err on the side of caution. Every child deserves to be heard, believed, and protected.

Children’s rights must come before parents’ rights. The ability to procreate should never give someone the power to override a child’s voice or autonomy.

We need qualified, trauma informed professionals

Family court professionals should be trained in trauma, coercive control, and post separation abuse. They should be motivated by child safety, not profit.

Instead, we have an industry built on disbelief. There is more money in claiming a child is being coached or alienated than there is in validating abuse. When abuse is substantiated, revenue streams stop. But when a professional claims “alienation,” the litigation expands. Therapy expands. Evaluations expand. Programs expand.

This is the business model of the alienation industry (www.alienationindustry.com). It functions more like a multilevel marketing scheme than a system of care. The false narrative that protective parents fabricate abuse claims does not just hurt children. It sustains an entire industry.

We need a triage system in family court

In a hospital, patients are first seen by triage. The purpose is simple: assess risk, stabilize what is unstable, and prevent harm.

Family court needs the same approach.

We need professionals that are not financially incentivized by ongoing litigation. We need experts trained specifically to identify abuse dynamics, coercive control, and immediate safety concerns. Their only role should be to protect children in the earliest and most vulnerable stages. Safety should come first. Isn't that common sense?

We need oversight and accountability

Reform is impossible without oversight. Legislation does not matter if judges can ignore it without consequence.

This is one of the most dangerous failures in family court. Judges hold extraordinary power with almost no accountability. When a judge disregards evidence, minimizes risk, or refuses to follow the law, families have almost no recourse. Appeals are incredibly expensive, and often fruitless. Appeals are in avenue of privilege that most do not have access to.

Rogue judges are not rare. They are common and until there is a mechanism to review decisions, audit patterns, and correct dangerous rulings, children will continue to be placed in unsafe homes and protective parents will continue to be punished.

Oversight is not optional. It is the foundation of a functioning system.

The landscape of advocacy has changed

Another layer of this crisis is the danger faced by advocates who speak publicly about family court. Advocacy used to be challenging, now it is dangerous.

People who testify against harmful legislation or support child centered bills are being doxxed, harassed, and threatened. The groups pushing for unsafe policies have learned how to weaponize online harassment to silence anyone who exposes the truth. They follow the same playbook that so many of us have been subjected to during family court proceedings with our abusers.

Survivors, professionals, and advocates are increasingly terrified to use their voices because the retaliation is real. This should concern everyone. When truth tellers are silenced, injustice grows in the dark.

Family Court Awareness Month is not just about the danger inside the courtroom. It is also about the danger outside of it for those who dare to challenge the system.

Advocacy should not require sacrificing safety. Yet here we are. And this is one more reason awareness is essential.

This is why awareness matters

Awareness is the first step toward accountability. We cannot reform what most people do not even know exists.

Every November, I am reminded that the people driving this movement are the ones who lived it. Survivors turned advocates. Parents turned educators. Ordinary people who decided that silence was no longer an option.

Family Court Awareness Month is about truth. It is about pulling back the curtain on what happens behind closed doors and demanding a system that protects children above everything else.

One size does not fit all, but every child deserves safety, voice, and justice.

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The fine print

I am not an attorney and am not qualified to provide legal advice. Everything I share is based on personal experience and over a decade of work supporting others through high conflict custody battles. However, it is essential to consult with your attorney before making any legal decisions or implementing strategies discussed here. Your attorney is your legal voice and your advocate in the courtroom. They can help you understand the law in your jurisdiction, evaluate potential risks, and determine the best approach for your unique situation.

About me

My name is Tina Swithin. I am a survivor, a mom, and someone who understands this battle firsthand. I acted as my own attorney and successfully protected my children in a system that I can only describe as inhumane. I am also a blogger, founder of the High Conflict Divorce Coach Certification Program, best selling author (Divorcing a Narcissist), and a fierce advocate for reform in the family court system. I divorced a narcissist and I prevailed.

You can read more about me here.