Episode 144: The Truth About Family Court with Tina Swithin

Tina Swithin returns to the show this week! You know her as the leader of One Moms Battle, whose mission is to raise awareness and educate family court professionals on post-separation abuse as it relates to co-parenting and the family court system. She is also a fierce advocate for survivors and change in the family court systems. In fact, through her work, she has been able to get the month of November to be declared Family Court Awareness Month in eight states to date.

If you're eventually going to be entering the family court system, you must listen to this episode. It will help you to understand what the family court is designed to do, and enable you to prepare yourself to do battle within the court system—which is not designed to protect you. Join us for this incredible conversation about family court awareness.

Show Highlights

• Family Court Awareness Month is an opportunity for survivors to raise awareness at a community level. (2:20)
• The family court system is abusive. (5:24)
• How we can come together to increase awareness. (7:43)
• The disconnect between family court and other judicial systems. There is no regulation or checks and balances. (11:09)
• Very few states have required trauma-informed or domestic violence training for family court judges. (14:54)
• We examine how judges become appointed family law judges. (17:05)
• Tina's family court system reform wish-list, including why we need judicial accountability and focus on prioritizing child safety. (21:00)
• Even with the reality of our present-day court system, children have a better chance of being healthy members of society if you are able to leave a toxic marriage. (35:07)
• What you can expect when advocating for yourself in the family court system. (43:24)

Learn more about Tina Swithin

Tina Swithin survived a "Category Five Divorce Hurricane" while acting as her own attorney in a high-conflict custody battle that turned her family's life upside down for over a decade. Known for her internationally recognized blog, "One Mom's Battle" and her book series, "Divorcing a Narcissist," Tina helps survivors to navigate the family court system against narcissists and other toxic individuals. In 2020, Tina launched two major projects: The High Conflict Divorce Coach Certification Program and a nationwide campaign, Family Court Awareness Month.

The mission at Family Court Awareness Month is to raise awareness and shine a spotlight on one of the most important branches of our judicial system; the family court system. The very system that was established to govern family law cases and make decisions that are "in the best interest" of children, has some undeniable shortcomings that warrant conversations, solutions and ultimately, change.

The mission at Family Court Awareness Month is fueled by the desire for a family court system that is trauma-informed and educated on domestic violence, coercive control and post separation abuse. To truly act in the best interest of children, our family court system needs to incorporate empirical data and research into their decisions and rulings.

Resources & Links:

Family Court Awareness
One Mom's Battle
Tina on Facebook
Tina on Instagram
Tina on LinkedIn

TODAY'S EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY:
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