Existing law provides that it is the policy of this State to: (1) ensure that minor children have a continuing relationship with both parents after the parents have ended their relationship; (2) encourage such parents to share the rights and responsibilities of child rearing; and (3) establish that such parents have an equivalent duty to provide their minor children with necessary maintenance, healthcare, education and support. (NRS 125C.001) Section 5 of this bill: (1) defines the term “reunification treatment” to mean a treatment or therapy aimed at reuniting or reestablishing a relationship between a child and an estranged or rejected parent or other family member of the child; and (2) prohibits a court from issuing an order requiring a child to receive reunification treatment under certain circumstances. Section 5 also prohibits a court from removing a child from a parent or litigant or restricting contact between a child and a parent or litigant for the sole purpose of improving a deficient relationship between the child and the other parent of the child under certain circumstances.
Section 6 of this bill provides that in a child custody proceeding in which a parent is alleged to have committed domestic violence or child abuse, expert evidence relating to the alleged domestic violence or child abuse may only be admitted by a professional who possesses certain expertise and clinical experience. Section 6 also: (1) requires the court in any such proceeding to consider evidence of past domestic violence or child abuse under certain circumstances; and (2) prohibits the court in any such proceeding from issuing an order to remediate the resistance of a child to have contact with a parent alleged to have committed domestic violence or child abuse under certain circumstances.
Existing law requires each judge of the family court to attend a course designed for the training of new judges within 12 months after taking office. (NRS 3.028) Section 7 of this bill requires each judge who presides over a child custody proceeding and certain other persons who have regular and routine contact with persons involved in child custody proceedings to complete certain training relating to domestic violence and child abuse. Under section 7, any such training must comply with certain provisions of federal law.
Sections 3 and 4 of this bill define certain terms for the purposes of sections 2-7 of this bill.