The purpose of this CLE is to learn how to protect noncustodial parents from infringement of parental decision-making for their child’s placement, family time, and all other childrearing decisions. D’Adre Cunningham, WDA’s Incarcerated Parents Project Resource Attorney, will introduce practical considerations for improving the legal representation of parents in juvenile dependency court when representing parents accused of child abuse, child neglect, or other parental misconduct.

When the state seeks to separate a family and interfere with the parent-child relationship and parental childrearing decision making, they often rely upon either a “reasonable cause” standard or a “preponderance of the evidence” standard. A higher burden of production and proof is required by the state and federal constitutions to rebut the presumption of parental fitness. Without the rebuttal of that presumption parental preferences for placement, visitation/family time, and over all child rearing decisions should prevail.

To register, please write to wda@defensenet.org with “fighting” in the subject line.

1.0 Law and Legal Credit has been requested from the bar.