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 the Administrative Office of the Courts to: (1) include ongoing training regarding domestic violence, child abuse and best practices in family court in the regular education provided by the Office to judges; and (2) to the extent of available funding, offer such training to certain other persons. Under section 7, this 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.