Children's Rights Council


The Children's Rights Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to help divorced, separated and never married parents to remain active in their child’s life. The organization focuses on children’s rights advocacy for shared parenting, the prevention of child abuse and alternative dispute resolution. CRC also run parental access centers where children can spend supervised time with their non-custodial parents and where transfers between parents can occur in a monitored environment. The organization was founded in 1985 by David L Levy, Esq. and it is headquartered in Landover, Maryland in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.

Activities

CRC promotes legislation that works to benefit children through shared parenting. Seeking legislative reform, the organization is a strong advocate of joint physical custody. CRC also manages 26 Child Access Centers in 11 different states which provide supervised access and visitation of children and serve as safe transfer points for children who are moving from the custody of one parent to another.
In addition, CRC conducts research and submits testimony to Congress in regard to the well being of children. The organization's primary focus is to minimize the emotional, physical and economic abuse, neglect and distress of children and the development of at-risk behaviors following relationship breakups between separated, divorce, or never-married parents who are highly conflicted. In 1995, Cynthia L. Ewing testified as a Legal Analyst for CRC that states which had the most "intact" families had, for the most part, the highest rankings of children's wellness.

Goals

In support of this commitment to children, CRC has established a set of social goals based on program utilization of the Both Parents Approach model to help highly conflicted parents better cooperate and collaborate in the best interests of their children following break-up of the family. CRC's advocacy and program goals are designed to accomplish the following:
Mitigate the long-term damaging effects to children caused by divorce and relationship break-ups;
Reduce total children at risk from developing harmful and destructive behaviors;
Encourage non-custodial parents to remain emotionally & financially supportive of their child;
Advocate increased opportunities for access to non-custodial parents; and
Decrease the nature, burden and expense of legal disputes and court interventions caused by persistent parental conflict.

Supporters

Supporters of Children's Rights Council are from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and from a number of diverse fields. CRC has received donations from celebrities such as Jamie Farr and David Brenner. CRC's former honorary president was Lady Catherine Meyer, Catherine Meyer the wife of the British Ambassador to the U.S., Christopher Meyer. Many other supporters include notable psychologists, doctors, researchers on children's issues, and business leaders. CRC receives most of its funding from foundations, court systems, and individuals.

Media

On November 3, 2008, Children's Rights Council was mentioned in The “Dear Abby” Column, which runs in 1,400 newspapers. The article was entitled Man Pestered by Ex-Wife Must Act to Help his Son, and CRC was referenced as an effective resource for parental alienation problems.

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