Let's Get Honest! Absolutely Uncommon Analysis of Family & Conciliation Courts' Operations, Practices, & History

The usual update routine: This older post came up in a search, I didn’t have a shortening (“Click to Read More”) link, meaning the entire post would display in search results intended to show which posts dealt with the topic, so I came back and put one in. While here, applied the usual html to clean it up some.  Older posts do not have margin specs, and when the blog capacity was upgraded, the default background color changed to, I think, an ugly light blue/green. Those are simple fixes.

The Updated comments followed up on (just) one entity mentioned in the post, found it had been IRS-revoked (w/ Chicago address) for not filing three years in a row, was re-instated (by the IRS) in Dec. 2015 and is now based in Texas. Someone needs to counsel the “Council on Contemporary Families” about basics of staying registered with the IRS as ethical behavior, especially for those focused on analyzing and counseling others.  The current address reflects a “Population Center” at a U-Texas Austin, no doubt because the principal officer listed works there now.

~ |end, “Update” comments, Aug. 1, 2019| ~

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & TRAINING…

Since accepting its first call in 1994, the NRCDV has responded to over 51,000 requests for technical assistance (TA) on a broad range of topics. We both sponsor training directly, often through our key initiatives and special projects, and NRCDV staff and consultants serve as a key training resource for coalitions, federal agencies and others needing presenters with particular expertise for conferences and meetings.

ABOUT NRCDV…

It is the mission of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence to improve societal and community responses to domestic violence and, ultimately, prevent its occurrence.

Since 1993, the Pennsylvania Coalitions Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) has received core funding to operate the NRCDV from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with supplemental funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support VAWnet, our national online resource center, and other private and public grants. The NRCDV employs a multidisciplinary staff and supports a wide range of projects to address the complex challenges domestic violence poses to families, institutions, communities, and governments.

The NRCDV’s technical assistance and training not only responds to requests from the field, but also anticipates needs for information and guidance around emerging policy and practice issues.

Does this include the concept that to truly stop abuse by men against women, it’s essential to work with faith-based operations (who historically do nothing about that) to help ensure that every little girl or by affected by violence has a Daddy in her life, who will be programmed to understand that if  he is NOT in her life, she is at risk of being abused by someone (besides himself), etc.?  Because I can point to the Child Welfare section of HHS and document that this is about the level of the reasoning in it.  In fact may already have, on this blog.  Look up “Boot Camp for New Dads”

The NRCDV develops and disseminates comprehensive and specialized information packets that address a range of domestic violence issues, and publishes related innovative intervention and model prevention practices, protocols and policies.

In 1995, the NRCDV created VAWnet, our comprehensive and easily accessible collection of full-text, searchable electronic materials and resources on domestic violence, sexual violence and related issues. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) serves as our key collaborative partner for this project. VAWnet currently receives over 3,000 visitors per day and these visitors download over 1,900 files a day. A significant number of the most frequently downloaded documents are those produced by NRCDV and NSVRC staff and consultants. The NRCDV utilizes three primary strategies in its work: technical assistance and training, development of resource materials, and special projects.

The federal govermment distributes millions upon millions to each state in grant money. A large portion of it is intended to go into the control of politicians who simply use the money as a private campaign war chest by redistributing it to businesses that support them, who then kickback 20% in cash. (That’s called a democracy these days) See white envelope. However, a chunk of about $20 million goes to the judiciary EVERY YEAR, also a government entity, don’t forget, where the money is, as stated above, distributed to cronies in businesses that serve Family Court, i.e., evaluators, guardians, coparenting coordinators and last, but not lease, mediators.  [*1]

Intimately, our local players have been identified. [*2] A the top of the money heap is Judge Harhut (gets the biggest kickback)[*3]. Harhut organized this collosal scheme to keep the federal money flowing into our area, called an economic boost, except only a few get boosted, like Harhut.[*4]

Under Harhut, the scheme has been working for years something like this: The judges review a custody case for any sign of conflict; “Ahh, there is it, two people that hate one anothter and they have kids. Perfect.”, said Judge Harhut. Harhut, and all other judges in Family Court, then decide that it’s in the best interests of children that they have have a thief, I mean, a guardian, so he orders Danielle Ross to be the Guardian per family for $300 per parent up front and $50 an hour thereafter.

Ross interviews the parents and the kids and determines that these people in divorce detest the sight of one another, so they need an evaluation. Ross also inspects the house for $100.00, or has some crony friend do it, unqualified, of course. Enter Dr. Refice,*** evaluator ( and others like him) who affirm what Ross concluded, which was that the parents are nuts and need to try mediation to resolve incidents of knife throwing and drop kicks to the groin in front of the kids. Mediation is done by Tony LiBassi, who gives a few free samples (actually paid for by federal grants)[*5] and then hammers the parents on a pay-per-visit fee until even he can’t get them to put he knives down and recommends co-parenting. Co-parenting is run by Ann Marie Termini, who is only to happy to rape, I mean charge, parents $50 an hour for eternity to teach them that knife -throwing should not be done in front of the kids.

This whole process, of course, is very expensive, because the longer it goes on the nuttier it drives the parents and the plan has thus been executed to perfection, because the grant money is to be used for helping people who are nuts and in Family Court. Many parents cannot afford it, so that’s where the federal money comes into play. These professional serices simply send a voucher to the County Controller and the cycle of pay-to-play is completed.[*6]

”

Anthony J. Libassi M.S., C.R.C., is a trained mediator specializing in Divorce and Custody matters with over 13 years experience.  Mr. Libassi serves as a mediator for Lackawanna County Family Court and has been instrumental in developing mediation programs from several phases of Family Court.

Mr. Libassi, as an adjunct faculty member at Pennsylvania State University, has taught courses in Human Development and Family Studies.  Mr. Libassi presents the Kids First Program, a four hour parent education class, in several counties in Pennsylvania.  He brings over twenty five years of experience of working with families to his mediation practice.

MFRI:

“Facilitating the development of research and clinical initiatives to better support couples, marriages, and families

Background

Funded through the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Stronger Marriages and Stronger Families Program was a three year grant (2003-2006) that supported initiatives established by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and Administration for Children and Families.

{{I”m remembering –this coincides, yes?, with the reign of Jerry Regier — from Oklahoma Marriage Initiative — and the scandal of grants-steering during his leadership of the Florida DCF that, as I recall, led to his resignation.  This particular program talks about “faith-based” also, and here’s a nice brochure soliciting people to enroll in couples’ counseling, with a specific curriculum I probably blogged (PREPARE/ENRICH)}}

The Promoting Safe and Stable Families Legislation was created to develop, expand, and operate community-based family services and programs to promote the development and maintenance of safe and stable families in the United States and Tribal entities. The goals of this program were:

(1) To prevent child maltreatment among families at-risk through the provision of supportive family services;

(2) To ensure children’s safety within the home and preserve intact families in which children have been maltreated, when the family’s problems can be addressed effectively;

(3) To address the problems of families where children have been placed in foster care so that reunification may occur in a safe and stable manner in accordance with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997; and

(4) To support adoptive families by providing support services as necessary so that they can make a lifetime commitment to their children.

The Stronger Marriages and Stronger Families Program was developed with this legislation in mind.

. . . . [92% of Floridians believe that happy marriages are reelly, reelly  important] And yet, programs to support marriage are not a standard service available to married or soon-to-be married couples.

What if a program existed to support married couples? Do you know if it would help them achieve the long, strong marriage and raise happy, healthy children for which they wish, hope and dream? Neither do we.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and MDRC, a research and evaluation organization in New York, has given the Marriage and Family Research Institute in the College of Education at the University of Central Florida the exciting opportunity to study the effects of marriage education and support mechanisms on low to moderate income married couples with children – through the Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) Together Project.

{{TRANSLATION:  they have an agenda, and access to $$.  UCF gets the $$, supplies the young energetic, or (at least enrolled in their institute) people, and hopefully everyone is happy and no one will say that Marriage Education for Everyone is not a fantastic idea….}}

As part of a national demonstration and evaluation program, the SHM Together Project and seven other sites in New York, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington (two sites) will each recruit and interview 800 couples. Randomly, 400 couples will be assigned to the control group that receives no SHM-related services, and 400 couples will be assigned to the program group that will receive 12 months of SHM-related services including 30-hours of marriage education, continuous family support and extended marriage and family-related activities. At the end of the year, MDRC will test the difference between the two groups and ultimately answer the question, “Do marriage education and supports help low to moderate income married couples with children have longer, stronger marriages and raise happy, healthier children?”

{{With true scientific objectivity it is assumed that — basically — ALL couples & people are basically the same, so if one group spread between 7 sites in 5 states + DC  (400/7= 57 couples per site, and for five states, that’s 57 couples per STATE) seem better after a year of this –and 57 or so couples didn’t — we’re going to say it was a thumbs-up and should be expanded….      I notice it says “moderate-income” so apparently TANF wasn’t funding this one?…}}

This being a university, I find it a little deceptive to use acronyms:  SHM, SMSF…

ONE — OFA Project:

This is really a PAIRS project, but as PAIRS is listed separately, this makes it look like more things are on the burner, and more grants may, indeed, be involved….

OFA Together Project

In October 2006, The Office of Financial Assistance of the U.S. Department of Healthy and Human Services has awarded the Institute a five-year grant to design and implement the Together Project. The Together Project aims to bring marriage education services to low-income married couples with children in the Central Florida region and to collect data comparing couples who participate in marriage education with those in a control condition. Over the life of the project, the goal is to serve 200 couples and to collect data on 200 control couples. Control couples will be placed on a waiting list for services and will be eligible for marriage counseling services at the UCF Community Counseling Clinic after completing one-year follow-up data.

{{LOW_income couples only got a 200-couple sample.  Moderate-income couples get an 400 couple (+ 400 controls) sample, although more spread out. HIGH-income couples will pay their dues in divorce court anyhow, and/or contribute to some of these nonprofit front groups, so let’s not mess with them…}}

The marriage education treatment for the Together Project is the PAIRS curriculum (Gordon & Frandsen, 1993). There is some empirical support for the PAIRS approach (c.f. Durana, 1998; Goss, 1995). The curriculum was selected because it has this research support and because it focuses on emotional intimacy and bonding rather than a purely behavioral skills approach.

Of the INSTITUTE– the website has a “Resources” link.  The first FIVE resources are government supported!  With the exception of “SmartMarriages” which is a trademark from Dianne Sollee, who  must be making a bundle from all this:  she runs conferences where various curriculum providers can get their strategies together, buy into a franchise possibly, and even (if they’ve been smart enough to form a nonprofit association before coming to the conference) get the expenses written off.  BASICALLY — the individuals pushing healthy marriage (See GWBush the younger and friends) are simply using a public university to push franchising of their favorite ideas about society.   They call the tune.

The following are some informative links related to marriage and family research:

	Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Healthy Marriage Initiative
	Florida Commission on Marriage and Family Support Initiatives
	Florida State University’s Family Institute
	Smart Marriages
	National Healthy Marriage Resource Center

WTF does this have to do with Lackawanna county and an off-hand remark about Ronald Refice as a custody evaluator?  well, his corporation shares office address with this woman whose experience says it includes this FLorida group — and that group’s site indicates a Pennsylvania test site, so who knows?   Perhaps there’s a connection there.  I just googled the street address, found this, backed up to the hyperlink (Marriage Resource Center) she was under — looked for Refice (who doesn’t show up there) and took it from there.  One of the therapists (not this one) had the florida connection.

That’s the same street address as Refice is under.   It’s a home — maybe they are partners or married. Therapy building is:

Clinical Director:

Jill Ballman, MA, LPC, LMFT (it was her bio I followed up on from the site).

ANYHOW —

I just found another nonprofit that Danielle M. Ross, J.D. is a member of:  “Council of Contemporary Families”   (sigh) and recognize several of the memberships.  It appears to have started in 2006.

http://contemporaryfamilies.org/conference/2011-conference-presenters.html#Burton

Their Board of Directors are from all over the country, and it appears to have begun its conferences (at least uploading them to the site) in 2006.  Every time you go from one section to another of the site, it attempts to sign you up for newsletters, which is annoying …

http://contemporaryfamilies.org/about-ccf/board2011.html

http://contemporaryfamilies.org/member-bios/

A long list of bios includes one for renowned Fathers’ Rights lawyer Jeffrey Leving (out of Chicago, whose firm is a sponsor? of Fathers and Families Coalition, a large group with close HHS ties, or at least a VERY friendly relationship with whoever’s heading it up each year — David Hansell, you name it).

Danielle’s is on there — so depending on how the FBI results turn out, probably some of the colleagues will still welcome her with open arms in some other state.  Unless she is disbarred or gets a temporary wrist-slap for financial fraud….

It reads:

I am an attorney in Scranton, PA. My full time position involves being appointed as a Guardian ad Litem for children involved in custody proceedings.

Hmm.  That’s interesting — who’s her employer?  Or does she work FT somewhere else and part of this “involves being appointed”  – is she doing something for the judge that appoints her? Or is this simply just dishonest (or not a current listing….).  Hmm, hmm, hmmm.  (see Pilchesky v. Ross et al.).  this is probably why court professionals have to join so many out-of-state organizations; so people don’t catch on to the truths of the matter….  I did find an EIN for Council on Contemporary Families (522070511) and a State (Illinois) See below:

My undergraduate degree is a B.A. is Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. My juris doctorate was acquired from Widener University School of Law. I am currently pursuing a M.A. in Forensic Psychology.

My area of interest is family law and educating the judiciary to incorporate clinical assessments, impressions and research, when making decisions for families involved in the judicial system. I am interested in insuring a collaborative approach** is applied when dealing with these families in our system.

CONTACT: (etc.)

*(**meaning, we get to have our day in the sun, after all, doesn’t a B.A in Psychology + a J.D. = an expert in family life?)

COUNCIL ON CONTEMPORARY FAMILIES NCCSDATAWEBS LISTING (no 990s on form, looks like a small operation)

The family therapists are trying to pull in more arts & humanities themes to increase their credibility, which at this point, is pretty darn well about shot from those who sit under them:

Organization Details
EIN:	522070511
Name:	Council on Contemporary Families — Google
Location:	Uic Mc312 1007 W Washington Ste Bsb Chicago, IL 60607		Report Address Change
County:	Cook County
Ruling Date:	1998   (Approximate year when founded)
IRS Type:	501(c)(3) – Public charity: Religious, educational, charitable, scientific, and literary organizations…
Legal basis for public charity or private foundation status (FNDNCD):	15 – Organization with a substantial portion of support from a governmental unit or the general public
NTEE:	A99 – Arts, Culture & Humanities N.E.C.
Most recently completed fiscal year (TAXPER)	12/2008
Total Revenue	$33,598
Total Assets:	$86,232
Organization Mission Statement and Purpose
The Council on Contemporary Families is an association of experts on the family from fields of sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, the law, and family therapists. it is an organization devoted to education of the public through bringing to public attention the best research available on the american family in all of its diversity. it is devoted to promoting informed and constructive public discussion of Contemporary Families’ needs and how those needs might best be met.

With all those members, and being around for now 10 years, they finally coughed up a tax return?

Per tax return — (the last we heard of this group) they are preparing to write a book (got a $25K advance for it?) in which each member (well, now there are around 200) contributes a chapter.

The street address is University of Illinois Chicago (UIC).

It is signed by Co-Chair “Waldo E. Johnson, Jr.”  You KNOW I’m going to look him up, right?

http://www.americanprogress.org/events/2011/03/inf/JohnsonWaldo.html

This sounds very well-educated, well-recognized, if not exactly gender-neutral:

Waldo E. Johnson Jr., Ph.D., is associate professor at the School of Social Service Administration and faculty affiliate and immediate past director at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. He is also a research associate for the Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. He teaches social welfare policy, human behavior in the social environment, and research methods in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs. A family scholar, his research focuses on father involvement among low-income, unwed African-American fathers and the relationship between African-American males’ physical and mental health statuses on their family and societal role assumptions and performance across the life course. Most recently, he has been a consultant to the Chicago Community Trust as well as the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago in the development of their respective African American Male Initiatives.

His book, Social Work with African American Males: Health, Mental Health and Social Policy (Oxford Press, 2010), examines the developmental and social challenges and barriers experienced by African-American males across the life course. He is also interested in the use of qualitative research methods {{presumably about AAM MALES}} for guiding social policy. He is a member of the Ford Foundation Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Wellbeing of African American Males; a member of the National Steering Committee and Fatherhood Subcommittee (of what institution or arm of gov’t?) ; chair of the 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys; and the inaugural chair of the Commission on Research for the Council on Social Work Education.  {{That should take care of it being to female-focused}} During winter 2011, he will be a visiting scholar at Clare Hall, Cambridge University, and the University of Cape Town.

WJohnson holds a Ph.D. in social work from the University of Chicago, an MSW from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. from Mercer University. He was a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Poverty Research and Training Center and the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan

HERE”s the Blurb from the CCF website — which didn’t file tax returns, that we can see, except for the year 2008?  I’ll put a ? on that, but generally speaking, I can find tax returns.  I found ONE here.  The memberhip in 2008 produced fees of about $14K, I’ll go back and see what they are, and do some math…

Waldo E, Johnson, Jr. is associate professor at the School of Social Service Administration faculty has conducted research and published widely on father involvement among unwed, low-income urban fathers; the physical and mental health statuses of African American males and the use of qualitative research methods in guiding social welfare policy. He is a member of the leadership team (chair of the Community Engagement Work Group) for the South Side Health and Vitality Study, a family of interdisciplinary social science, epidemiological and community based studies to be conducted in the 34 community areas (neighborhoods) served by the University of Chicago Medical Center aimed at enhancing the health, wellness and health service delivery of residents.; Building Healthy Communities: A Focus on Young Men and Boys of Color Research Collaborative, initiated by the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Justice of the Berkeley Law School of the University of California funded by The California Endowment and the Disenfranchised Men Forum, an initiative sponsored by the New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and the Ford Foundation which brings together academic researchers, policy and practice practitioners to address challenges facing disenfranchised males.

Well, at least we know what focus are dealing with here, and he co-chairs the organization, apparently. The Foundation Scholars bio has a photo and further notes some collaboration with the Illinois DCFS.  The Illinois – South Side of Chicago & Ford Foundation connections particularly interesting (OBama was here before the White House, we may recall).

Steven Mintz of Columbia (per 2008 tax return) was managing the list-serv.  Here’ his bio at that site, HISTORY Department:

Steven Mintz Director Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Teaching Center

Biography Steven Mintz was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History and Director of the American Cultures Program at the University of Houston before becoming the director of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Teaching Center.  An authority on the history of the family and of children, he is the author and editor of 13 books, including Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life, Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood, and Moralists & Modernizers: America ’s Pre-Civil War Reformers. He has also published extensively on film history, slavery, abolition, and American reform movements. A pioneer in the application of new technologies to history, he is the creator of the Digital History website (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu) and past president of H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online.  He has also served as President of the Society for the History of Children and Youth, and chaired the Council on Contemporary Families, an interdisciplinary organization of scholars and clinicians dedicated to enhancing the national conversation about what contemporary families need and how these needs can best be met.  A member of the Society of American Historians, he is a past chair of the Bancroft Prize jury and a member of the advisory board of Film & History, the History Teacher, Slavery & Abolition, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Here’s a 5- minute interview, talks about meeting Georgia O’Keefe and confirms he’s a professional educator with interest in behavioral sciences, too

Stephanie Coontz (also on Board of Directors) has a decorated history, at least she is an author and is quite the presenter.  Some of the places she presents seem very conservative (National Council on Family Relations, etc.) she has a book on the history of marriage.

Welcome to Stephanie Coontz’s official website!

Stephanie Coontz teaches history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. She also serves as Co-Chair and Director of Public Education at the Council on Contemporary Families, a non-profit, nonpartisan association of family researchers and practitioners based at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her work has been featured in many newspapers such as The New York Times, as well as scholarly journals such as Journal of Marriage and Family, and she is frequently interviewed on national television and radio.

I THINK it’s a SAFE BET — CONSERVATIVE (?). ….

Anyhow, they don’t show up on a corporations search in Illinois . . . .

And they have NOT — at least under this Name OR EIN# — filed with the State of Illinois as a charity.  Not so hot if their c0-chair of the board of directors is a professor!

And a lowly GAL from Lackawanna shares professional membership with this level of professional exposure and Ph.D. accomplishments.  That should help her out after the FBI returns its reports, assuming it does anything….

(also – is that street address strange enough yet?)

WELL, I could do this all night, despite what week of the year it is (like a few days before Christmas, much?)

This post needs to be split in two, but I’m glad it finally got published!  

Back to Ms. Ross’s bio on this illustrious organization, with its illustrious membership (too busy to finish tax returns, I guess, but ready to change the world through influencing policy with their research, etc. )

My area of interest is family law and educating the judiciary to incorporate clinical assessments, impressions and research, when making decisions for families involved in the judicial system. I am interested in insuring a collaborative approach** is applied when dealing with these families in our system.

Ms. Ross – these families?   it’s their system — they pay for it.  Probably more of them work an honest job than you, at least til you get involved and strip them of their resources!   You are in the public servant role within this system.  We intend that you and colleagues begin to understand WHOSE system it is, and adjust accordingly.