Institute for Child Custody Advocacy

It’s time to protect child custody rights.

A little girl is holding a stuffed dog while her parents argue in the background.
A little girl is holding a stuffed dog while her parents argue in the background.

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Photo By: John Doe
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Our Mission

Our mission is to create more equitable Family Court practices and procedures by championing legislative safeguards that defend the fundamental right to parent.


We believe that there should always be easy access to legal protections in cases which include safety concerns and abuse claims.


However, the Court’s willingness to sever the parent-child bond without strict scrutiny standards should be the exception and not the rule.


Our purpose is to create parental protections around people while they rebuild their professional and personal lives. 

Meet Our Founder

The Solution

Legislative Safeguards- in a rare display of mutual agreement, both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature adopted resolutions to "urge and request the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI) to review (state) laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures related to mental health evaluations used in child custody and visitation proceedings." This joint resolution expands the scope of inquiry beyond credentials for mental health evaluations to the application of legal standards and the parental protections afforded by the constitution. Additionally, the resolution encourages collaborative co-parenting while discouraging approaches that strip parental and custodial rights from either parent, unless doing so under the domestic violence laws.


The Institute is collaborating with LSLI, parent advocacy groups, domestic violence coalitions, and other stakeholders to promote more equitable family court practices and to protect parental rights for fit parents, most often while they are struggling to rebuild their lives after a long, expensive, and contentious divorce. The Institute wants to end the weaponization of the family court system by malicious parents. More money should not mean more fit to love and parent your child.

A scale of justice is sitting on a wooden table in front of a window.

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe
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What is the connection between Family Courts and Domestic Abuse?

Most couples who end up in the Family Court System usually have at least one abusive party involved. It is a self-selecting process, because in most cases with two good people, an equitable settlement is made before ever entering the Family Court System. 

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Background on the Institute’s Founder, Bridget Neal: 

Bridget Neal is a Louisianan, who has worked with several international scientific organizations, currently working for CBF Partners at NASA-Stennis.



Neal graduated from Louisiana State University with her bachelor’s degree in 1999 and went on to graduate from Tulane University with her Master’s of Art in Civic and Cultural Management in 2001. She formerly served as the Executive Director of Team Metric and has held several positions at the world’s largest research and scientific complex- the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

A woman with long red hair is wearing a black tank top

Neal has been committed to advocating for change in the family court system since losing access to her children in the Summer 2021. This occurred after a succession of painful situations predicated on meritless claims made by a child custody evaluator which were not derived from forensic evidence.

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Background on the Institute’s Founder, Bridget Neal: 

Bridget Neal is a Louisianan, who has worked with several international scientific organizations, currently working for CBF Partners at NASA-Stennis.


Neal graduated from Louisiana State University with her bachelor’s degree in 1999 and went on to graduate from Tulane University with her Master’s of Art in Civic and Cultural Management in 2001. She formerly served as the Executive Director of Team Metric and has held several positions at the world’s largest research and scientific complex- the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

Two stuffed dogs are sitting next to a judge 's gavel on a table.
A woman with long red hair is wearing a black tank top

Neal has been committed to advocating for change in the family court system since losing access to her children in the Summer of 2021. This occurred after a succession of painful situations predicated on an inaccurate child custody evaluation and a domestic judicial system that does not always enforce the law nor does it seem to prioritize protecting the parent-child bond.

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Reform of Family Courts Will Bring Overdue Change

By Bridget Neal • August 28, 2024
Reform of Family Courts Will Bring Overdue Change

Louisiana Legislature Enacts HB236 to Enhance Child Custody Proceedings

By Bridget Neal • August 2, 2024
Louisiana Legislature Enacts HB236 to Enhance Child Custody Proceedings

Monitored Visits and the Removal of Parental Constitutional Rights

By Bridget Neal • June 15, 2022
Introduction

Louisiana Legislature Prioritizing Parental Rights

By Bridget Neal • June 13, 2022
Louisiana legislators have recognized the many structural failures within the family court system. In a rare display of bipartisanship and mutual agreement, both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature adopted, identical in intention, resolutions pledging their commitment to protecting the parent-child bond and constitutional right to parent. Senate Resolution 186 (SR186) and the House Resolution 228 (HR228), both “urge and request the Louisiana State Law Institute (LSLI) to review (state) laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures related to mental health evaluations used in child custody and visitation proceedings.“ LSLI is a legislative advisory body, housed at LSU, that researches questions of law and then makes recommendations to legislators. This joint resolution crucially expands the scope of inquiry beyond specific credentials for mental health evaluations to the application of legal standards and the parental protections afforded by the constitution. Notably, these resolutions illuminate the importance of establishing an equitable co-parenting relationship and the role of the child custody evaluation in establishing the co-parenting power dynamics. These resolutions outline that the child custody evaluation should encourage collaborative co-parenting while discouraging approaches that strip parental and custodial rights unless doing so complies with enacted domestic violence laws. Louisiana legislators seem to understand that the relationship between the parents is the primary factor that truly frames childhood experiences and memories.
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