A short statement of the advantages these resources can be to parents in divorce and paternity cases--and the ease with which they can be implemented in any jurisdiction
With no cost to courts or parents, over 200,000 separated, divorced, and never-married parents have already used UpToParents.org to build their better futures by focusing on meeting their children’s needs. The sample referral mechanisms on the following pages show how this powerful free resource can be implemented in any jurisdiction’s divorce and paternity cases.
A free public tool with enormous promise for minimizing harm to children.
Hon. Brent E. Dickson, Justice, Indiana Supreme Court
UpToParents.org has been updated and is now the website appropriate for parents in either divorce or paternity cases. (Parents in paternity cases who were once referred to the parallel website ProudToParent.org should now be referred to UpToParents.org as well.)
The website is available in both English and Spanish.
By local rule, our County requires all divorcing parents to complete this website work
and take that work to their live co-parenting classes. The results, to say the least, have been
excellent. . . . I can confidently say there is a consensus among our judiciary, GALs, co-parenting educators and, yes, even members of our local Bar, that if we had to do it over again,
we actually would have started our County's use of UpToParents even earlier.
Hon. Gregory A. Horn, Wayne County Superior Court, Richmond, Indiana
Should your bench and bar wish to consider joining those jurisdictions making UpToParents.org an automatic resource in all divorce and paternity cases with minor children, the two-minute Introductory UpToParents Video can be of assistance.
Additional information can be found on the “Professionals Corner” link of UpToParents.org or by contacting the Freedom 22 Foundation at 317-755-1265 or Info@UpToParents.org.
Sample Language for UpToParents.org Referral
in Divorce/Marital Dissolution Cases
Option A [Where parents must file their Certificates of Completion with the court]:
In all marital dissolution (divorce) cases with one or more children under the age of 18 at the time of the initial filing, each parent must complete the work on the free www.UpToParents.org website and file with the court the Certificate of Completion available at the conclusion of that work. Each parent’s Certificate of Completion shall be filed with the Court within 30 days of the filing of the initial petition for dissolution.
Option B [Where parents must present their Certificates of Completion at their live co-parenting class]:
In all marital dissolution (divorce) cases with one or more children under the age of 18 at the time of the initial filing, each parent must complete the work on the free www.UpToParents.org website.
Each parent shall take a copy of the Certificate of Completion available at the conclusion of that website work to [name of co-parenting class]. Parents will not receive credit for completion of that class until the Certificate of Completion is submitted to the class instructors.
Option C [Where parents must present their Certificates of Completion, chosen Commitments, and Exercise Responses at their live co-parenting class]:
In all marital dissolution (divorce) cases with one or more children under the age of 18 at the time of the initial filing, each parent must complete the work on the free www.UpToParents.org website.
Each parent shall take the following to their class with [name of co-parenting program]. Parents will not receive credit for completion of that class without these items, all of which are available from links on the Conclusion Page of www.UpToParents.org once the website work is complete.
- Certificate of Completion.
- The parent’s chosen Commitments.
- The parent’s written Exercise Responses.
Sample Language for UpToParents.org Referral
in Paternity Cases
Option A [Where parents must file their Certificates of Completion with the court]:
Within 30 days of the finding of paternity, each parent must complete the work on the free www.UpToParents.org website and file with the court the Certificate of Completion available at the conclusion of that work.
Option B [Where parents must present their Certificates of Completion at their live co-parenting class]:
Following the finding of paternity, each parent must complete the work on the free www.UpToParents.org website and attend the class with [name of co-parenting program].
Each parent shall take a copy of the Certificate of Completion available at the conclusion of that website work to [name of co-parenting program]. Parents will not receive credit for completion of that class until the Certificate of Completion is presented to the class instructors.
Option C [Where parents must present their Certificates of Completion, chosen Commitments, and Exercise Responses at their live co-parenting class]:
Following the finding of paternity, each parent must complete the work on the free www.UpToParents.org website and attend the class with [name of co-parenting program].
Each parent shall take the following to their class with [name of co-parenting program]. Parents will not receive credit for completion of that class without these items, all of which are available from links on the Conclusion Page of www.UpToParents.org once the website work is complete.
- Certificate of Completion.
- The parent’s chosen Commitments.
- The parent’s written Exercise Responses.