CONSIDERATIONS FOR STEP-UP PLANNING › Portals › 0 › Step up AFCC Webinar-handout.pdffor Social Work. Her expertise includes coparenting consultation, father involvement,child

CONSIDERATIONS FOR STEP-UP PLANNING

WHEN AND HOW TO DETERMINE THE RIGHT TIME

Marsha Kl ine Pruett, Ph.D., ABPPLesl ie M. Drozd, Ph.D.

AFCC WebinarApril 10 & 23, 2018

Considerations for Step-Up Planning: When and How To Determine The Right Time

April 10 & 23, 2018

Pruett & Drozd (2018)1

Pruett, M.K., Deutsch, R.M. & Drozd, L. (2016).When and how to do step-ups in shared parenting

arrangements.

In L. Drozd, M. Saini & N. Olesen (Eds.),Parenting Plan Evaluations:

APPLIED RESEARCH FOR THE FAMILY COURT (2ND EDITION).

Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Considerations for Step-Up Planning: When and How To Determine The Right Time April 10 & 23, 2018


Marsha Kline Pruett, Ph.D., ABPP, is a clinical psychologist with a master’s degree in law. She is a chaired Professor at Smith College School for Social Work. Her expertise includes coparenting consultation, father involvement, child development, program development and the evaluation of model ADR programs located inside and outside of the court system. She has written extensively for professional and lay audiences – including Partnership Parenting (2009) and trains mental health and legal professionals on family law topics. She is the Past President of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Leslie Drozd, Ph.D. practices in Newport Beach, California in clinical and forensic psychology with expertise in family violence, alienation, gatekeeping, resist-refuse dynamics, child abuse, and substance abuse. She has served as the founding editor of the Journal of Child Custody, is on the editorial board for Family Court Review, and served on the AFCC task forces that created the Model Standards of Practice for conducting child custody evaluations and evaluations with intimate partner violence. She has received AFCC’s John E. Van Duzer Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding contributions and achievements.


April 10 & 23, 2018


Learning Objectives

1) Learn relevant areas of assessment to make step-updecisions.

2) Discuss intervention recommendations for each areathat needs shoring up before step-ups.

3) Consider a case as it applies to the step-up decision-making chart.

Participants will



SECTIONS INCLUDE:

Fundamental Risks

Stability or Change

Initiation of Step-up

Areas to Explore



Fundamental Risks (in the past 6 mos.)months)

Corroboration? Please Explain

1Is there current intimate partner (domestic) violence in the home? Yes No Unknown

3Is there current substance abuse by a parent or anyone living in the home?

Yes No Unknown

2 Is there a risk of abduction? Yes No Unknown

4 Is there current child abuse, maltreatment, or neglect in the home?

Yes No Unknown

5Are there current unmanaged or untreated mental illness issues in the home? Yes No Unknown

Are there aspects of the child’s world outside the family that raise safety concerns that would undercut a step-up plan?

Yes No Unknown

If any of these considerations are present, a step-up is not appropriate at this time.

If none of these conditions are present, then continue to the next step.

6



Stability or Change Corroboration? Please Explain

1

Have there been any changes in the child’s world (e.g., school, family composition, significant family events, and parentavailability as a result of work, health or other changes) within the past 4 months (2 months if the child is under age 3)?

Yes

No

Unknown

If there are significant changes, that disrupt stability, a step-up may not be appropriate at this time.

If there are no, minimal, or insignificant changes, then continue to the next step.



1

2

Who is advocating for the step-up?

Who is resisting the step-up?

Initiation of Step-Up Please Explain One/Both Parents, Court,

Other Professional, or

Unknown?



Areas to Explore Questions to Ask Corroboration? Please

Explain Resources Needed

CHILD

1

Is the child symptomatic: (duration greater than 2 weeks): sleep or eating disruptions or dysregulation, social withdrawal, increased aggression, decreased concentration, school problems?

Yes NoUnknown

Pediatric consultation, Mental health treatment (individual for child and/or family or parent-child)

2

Is the child stressed by the frequency or spacing of the transitions?

Yes NoUnknown

Coparent counseling, Mediation, Parenting coordination

3Does the child have a preference for a change? Consider relative to age, developmental status.

Yes NoUnknown

Parent-child therapy, Family therapy

Action is Taken: Step-Up Begins and then, one of the parents says it is not workingASSESSING THE STEP-UP: AREAS TO EXPLORE, QUESTIONS TO ASK,

AND RESOURCES NEEDED


April 10 & 23, 2018




PARENTS

1

Is either parent symptomatic: depression, increased substance use, heightened fears/anxiety, cognitive disorganization, and/or increased impulsivity?

Yes

No

Unknown

Individual mental health treatment





PARENTS

2

Is either parent engaging in substance abuse that interferes with sensitive and consistent parenting?

Yes

No

Unknown

Substance abuseassessment & treatment,Temporary step-down until treatment is established and progressing





PARENTS

3

Is either parent usingthe child as a confidante Yes Parent coaching,or support in an age- Coparentinappropriate manner: No counseling,to keep them company, Individual mentalshare secrets, provide Unknown health treatmentinformation about the for parentother parent?



PARENTS

4Is the parent’s disciplinary style overly harsh, rigid, and authoritarian?

Yes

No

Unknown

Parent coaching





Is either parent denying the child participation in regular activities or not supporting homework during parenting time?

Yes

No

Unknown

Parent coaching, Mediation, Parenting coordination



5

PARENTS



PARENTS

6Are the parents’ childrearing practices so divergent the child is not receiving predictable, coherent care?

Yes

No

Unknown

Coparent counseling, Mediation, Parenting coordination







COPARENTS

1

Do the parents expose Yesthe child directly to Parent coaching,their conflict: observing No Coparent counseling,arguments, negative or High conflict parentdenigrating comments made Unknown groupto the other parent?



Areas to Explore Questions to Ask


Resources Needed

COPARENTS

2

Coparent counseling, High conflict parent group, Mediation, Parentingcoordination

Are parents unable to communicate effectively in a respectful, business-like manner about the child’s activities, behaviors, health,

Yes

No

and schooling? UnknownEating, sleeping, and developmental gains are specific areas to be inquired about for infants and toddlers.





COPARENTS

3

Is the parenting time Yes Coparent counseling,schedule adhered to rigidly,with inadequate flexibility to

High conflictparent group, Mediation,Parentingcoordination

changes, as needed by the child or either parent?

No

Unknown


Pruett & Drozd (2018) 18

4

Is either parent preventingor limiting the child’s accessto the other parent: sabotaging parenting time, phoning/texting the other parent during parenting time, communicating with child so frequently during other parent’s time that the child has difficulty settling into the other parent’s routines and care-giving?

Yes

No

Unknown

Parent coaching, Coparent counseling,High conflict parent group, Mediation, Parenting coordination, Court involvement



COPARENTS



COPARENTS

5

Do parents maketransitions difficult:not cordial to other

Yes Coparent counseling,

parent; raise sensitive,non-transition topics

No Mediation, Parenting

during transitiontimes; create logistical

Unknown coordination

roadblocks that hindersmooth transitions?





6

Does either parent prohibit the child from discussing activities or experiences with the other parent: child’s experience is ignored and closed down?

Yes

No

Unknown

Parent coaching,Coparent counseling


COPARENTS

Areas to Explore Questions to Ask Resources Needed



COPARENTS

7

Yes Parent coaching,Does either parentrestrict the child�s No

Coparent counseling,

access to extended Mediation,family members? Unknown Parenting

coordination

Areas to Explore Questions to Ask Corroboration?

Please Explain Resources Needed



If concerns are present and corroborated, then supportive resources must be put in place. Modifications can be set out and tried while the resources are employed.

The main consideration is whether the step-up is serving the child’s growth and healthy development at the present time. If the child is showing a high level of stress that is interfering with school, behavioral, or emotional functioning, then step-down and make a plan to reassess in 4 months.

If concerns are not corroborated or do not reach a level of developmental concern, then the step- up should be continued and a time set for reassessment.



BOTTOM LINETHE GOALS IN CONSIDERING THE STEP-UP ARE:A. To consider the potential risks and potential benefits tothe child foremost and the parents secondarily;

B. Put into place resources/supports that are needed tosupport the family in a successful step-up; and

C. To set a time frame to reassess or try the step-up again.



Please turn to the last page in your handouts. Thank you.

THE DAVIS FACT SHEET Mother: Cindy Davis age 24

HS Diploma / Ambulance Driver Father: Dante Davis age 23 HS Diploma / Machinist Minor Child: Dante Davis (Called “little D”)

DOB: 9/23/16

The parties were married in September 2015 after dating for four months. Ms. Davis became pregnant

3 months after the marriage, an unplanned pregnancy. The couple decided mutually not to terminate

the pregnancy. They experienced relationship problems from the onset, specifically regarding finances

and extended family issues. Little D was born on September 23, 2016. The parents arranged their

schedules so that each watched the baby while the other was working. Mother works some nights

and weekends. Father works during the weekdays.

Problems persisted and the couple separated in January 2017 when Little D was 4 months old. Mr.

Davis moved out of the marital home and made ongoing attempts to see Little D. Ms. Davis would only

allow contact at her home with either her parents or herself present because there was no Court

Order and she feared that Mr. Davis would not return the child to her. Ms. Davis made multiple

attempts to arrange contact between father and son at her residence, but Mr. Davis refused, stating he

wanted time with his son outside her presence.

In February 2017, Mr. Davis filed for sole legal and shared physical custody stating that Ms. Davis works

nights and Little D is cared for by her parents when he is available to care for his son during that time.

Ms. Davis answered the Father’s petition by requesting sole legal and physical custody and supervised

visits between father and son. She voiced concern regarding Mr. Davis having not seen the child for

almost 4 months and his current living environment, noting that he resides with three of his former

high school classmates, and that they all party a lot. In April 2017 the matter was in Court and the case

was referred to the Office of Family Court Services for a custody evaluation. The court ordered that

each week Little D would be with his father for two, three hour visits at the home of the paternal

grandparents. This was maintained for one year.

Now the father wants a change. The child is almost two years. Dad wants overnights to begin

immediately, explaining that he was an equal caregiver until the separation and then was denied

contact of his son by Ms. Davis. Since the original order, he has seen his son at every time period

allowable and has recently had him for some holidays by mutual arrangement. He denies drinking

anymore, he has rented an apartment of his own, and is capable of providing a safe household.

Mom wants supervised visits to continue and does not want overnights, stating the problem with the

amount of time that has transpired since Little D has seen his father for more than a few hours each

time. She is opposed to Little D spending time with his father outside her presence for the foreseeable

future. She is adamantly opposed to any overnights until Little D is 5 years old.



April 10, 2018Stepping-up Parenting Time:

When and How to Determine the Right TimeMarsha Kline Pruett, PhD, ABPP

and Leslie Drozd, PhD

September 12, 2018Online Dispute Resolution

Colin Rule, MPP

May 15, 2018A SAFeR Approach to Parenting Arrangementsin Cases Involving Intimate Parenter Violence

Loretta Frederick, JD

October 10, 2018Unbundling Legal ServicesForrest (Woody) Mosten, JD

June 20, 2018Evaluating Substance Abuse

Harry Somers, EdD

November 15, 2018Complexities of Culture in

Divorce and SeperationDr. Gitu Bhatia

July 18, 2018Working with Personality Disordered Clients

Bill Eddy, LCSW, CFLS

December 6, 2018The New Hague Treaty on

Child Support EnforcementRobert Keith and Anne Miller

August 22, 2018International Child Abduction Mediation

Melissa Kucinski, MA, JD

All webinars are held at 1:00pm-2:00pm (Eastern Time USA)Cost $15 (AFCC members) $50 (non-members)

All webinars are archived and available to AFCC members free of charge

www.afccnet.org • 608-664-3750

January 9, 2019Highlights of 2018 in Family

Court Research: FCR and MoreRobert E. Emery, PhD



CONSIDERATIONS FOR STEP-UP PLANNING

WHEN AND HOW TO DETERMINE THE RIGHT TIME

Marsha Kl ine Pruett, Ph.D.,[email protected]

Lesl ie M. Drozd, Ph.D.lesl ie@lesl iedrozdphd.com

AFCC WebinarApril 10 & 23, 2018



Documents

CONSIDERATIONS FOR STEP-UP PLANNING › Portals › 0 › Step up AFCC Webinar-handout.pdffor Social Work. Her expertise includes coparenting consultation, father involvement,child