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Unknowing parents don't initially realize the obscene thought of "visiting" one's child is just another cash cow of the industry...although California Rules for Supervised Visitation located Here demonstrate Voluntary, services are quite acceptable to the court...a factor not featured in the Judicial Council form:
Pay up or you won't see your kids or mentioned by organizations offering the 'service'.
As such, Supervised visitation has become the newest cash cow for the industry...as the directors and staff of these extremely questionable "services" lobby judges to sit on their boards. No one is surprised then, when judges or commissioners later order litigants to use the services of the companies upon which they sit.
Kids Turn based in San Francisco has lobbied judiciary quite effectively in this regard, but they're not alone.
This portion of this cottage industry within the divorce and custody industry continues to exhibit no useful purpose.
Although allowed by statute and certainly better for children, judges seldom allow "volunteers" to provide this dubious service.
Leave it to ABC Visitation Services Monika Konia her her partner Allan Glick to take their fury over a stop payment check to Judge Judy! On Feb. 21 2008, Judge Judy aired with the prissy Konia railing against a former client on television. Folks...beware of this agency. Judge Judy said in her 30 years on the bench she never heard of a case where the mother who had 97% custody had it reduced to 3 hours a week.
Obviously Judge Judy is ignorant to how the courts currently work.
In The Worst Interests of The Child.
Case in Point: San Diego's Susan Griffin. Formerly of Real Solutions. After Susan Griffin was exposed as a fraud, she simply hired a publicist and changed her company name to Hannah's House.
With Hannahs's House however, only the name has changed. Griffin continues her very poor track record of safety for children, and honesty.
What Hannah's House operator Susan Griffin didn't mention to family court judges ordering people to her facility, was that the state once suspended her agency. Nor did Griffin ever mention she was fined by the State of California for practicing therapy without a license.
Nor did Ms. Griffin mention the fine came after a county audit, with officials required Griffin pay the county restitution because she could not account for grant monies received. Further, when questioned as to her Degree, (from "Email University") and misrepresenting her educational qualifications...Griffin, refused to answer; and ended her contracts.
Does Hannah's House Still have problems?
Absolutely. As such, we recommend those ordered to use service, either appeal the order; or demand the services of a volunteer...or anyone else. Do not agree with any court order, under any circumstances, that subjects your child to Hannah's House - as seen by the North County Times.
Until 2002, parents didn't know the County's audit revealed Griffin's facility was unsafe and unsanitary for children.
The really bad news?
Judges don't care. They have ignored Griffin's miserable, dishonest record over a decade; and worse, base custody decisions based on reports from a woman with this kind of track record. It seems when it comes to San Diego judges, a lack of qualifications, and ability to keep a child safe, don't matter. It's all about the industry.
How safe are San Diego Children in Griffin's care?
Lets put it this way. After all of the above, instead of being prosecuted for fraud, Griffin became instead, a Family Justice Center, favorite. That's right. She headed up the visitation program after all this came out.
Which is why we recommend appealing any order to use her facility; and filing a 170.6 for any judge ordering anyone to use her services or facility.
That Casey Gwinn "co-partnered" with Griffin after she made the cover of San Diego Magazine for her bizarre behavior, and "accounting irregularities" demonstrates how little care San Diego officials demonstrate to San Diego's most vulnerable.
When this was made known to editors at the Union Tribune, it was ignored as the U-T continued its romance with all things Gwinn.
Although Reporter Jeff McDonald was presented with documentation as far back as 2001; there was no coverage on Griffin's outfit. Years later the editorial board distributes mild rebukes of Gwinn.
However, those rebukes solely concern the pension scandal.
Sadly, the U-T is still on board with Gwinn's private non-profit, Family Justice Center. As such, San Diego's children remain very much at risk.
Hannah's House is one such non-profit organization offering "supervised visitation" services. It was created from the rubble of Real Solutions after bad press.
However, just like the PBS documentary Breaking the Silenceoutlined, instead of protecting children, the courts protect the abuser. One San Diego case mirrors the what the documentary shows to be a twenty year practice. Report abuse, lose custody.
One mother reporting abuse was ordered to Supervised Visitation at Griffin's facility and it was six months before they returned calls. The father, a San Diego attorney, got a free ride after the judge ignored evaluator's reports, teachers calling CPS, and the daughter's pleas for help.
First busted in San Diego Magazine's March issue, Real Solutions - Not. and again in, November, Susan Griffin's march through family court continues. Judges know she's not credible; but instead of being prosecuted for fraud, judges demonstrate their disregard for the children they take an oath to protect. Why?
Two words: federal funding.
Who benefits?
The police.
The majority of grant monies requested from the Family Justice Center goes not to women for programs and eduation. It goes to the police department for bullet proof vests; which may or may not stop bullets.
Few realize the unregulated Domestic Violence business is Big Business.
Click on the above and scroll to the bottom of the page to discover various Family Justice Centers sprouting up like zits on a teenager's face.
Not only do Family Court judges continually protect the economically superior, the Executive Branch of government rather than enforce existing laws, under the guise of helping women through the Office of Violence Against Women, wind up paying for bullet proof vests for police officers, instead.
Factor in a family court related non-profit, and the party is on. Unfortunately, the party is financed by family court litigants.
Are visitation centers necessary?
Probably not. At least not for longer than a month. But the Hannah's House website is more interesting for what isn't mentioned.
Not mentioned is that acceptable visitation can be voluntary, from an agreed upon third party. Parents know someone a child knows and is comfortable with is far better than any "non-profit."
Also, Supervised visitation is an almost completely unnecessary expense.
Federal funding for supervised visitation programs is supposed to be based on substantiated child abuse, not marketing, the "best interests of the child." Federal law 42 U.S.C. 2000 h-7 and 2000(d)(2) holds that if a state receives federal funding for any program, it waives sovereign immunity to be sued if it discriminates and violates the Equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Indeed, even the most casual reader to the Hannah's House website, quickly realizes although Hannah's House declares no responsibility for their problems, (it's always someone one else's fault), the system won't address it, because this group is part of systemic problems within the system. This is kind of denial is not good when considering utilizing services upon which one expects accuracy.
One would expect, because children are the marketing cog in an industry whose motto is "mo' business" judges would at the very least appear to care about children. But one would be wrong.
Susan Griffin's Hannah's House remains Exhibit A as to how little regard judges have for children, and why judicial disregard, at least in the case of Susan Griffin, now approaches two decades of disinterest.
Judges like Howatt, and Randa Trapp, (married to a cop), routinely orders kids into harms way, while parents remain ignorant to Hannah's House history.
The long history of no police action in spite of magazine cover stories and evidence of fraud, including page one news stories is proof judges and law enforcement officials alike are behind the "worst interests of the child."
As such, Hannah's House is in a class by itself. But courtesy of San Diego Police, it's a Protected class...in spite of magazine and newspaper headlines.
Is there any oversight?
Consider the former felon arms dealer, and owner of the Rancho Santa Fe mansion where 39 people committed suicide, who almost was registered as a Psychological Assistant what Griffin once claimed to be, and one wonders why judges value reports at all.
Former city attorney Casey Gwinn, spent most of his time in Washington D.C. implementing plans, (funding) for his private non-profit, "one stop shop" (due process violations), Family Justice Center. Gwinn figured out early on how to profit. Sadly, the voters never did, and the current crop of San Diego officials are content not to both examining what's really at play.
However, because problems continue with Griffin and her denial factor, we recommend firing any attorney who doesn't oppose orders to use the facility.
In fact, we recommend attorneys educate their clients supervised Visitation can be done on a volunteer policy, rather than another, paid for service in the Ka-ching of family court.
(Ever the quick change artist, after the article first came out Griffin adopted a new identity, with another company, called, "A Better Solution" and in a telephone conversation with a parent she thought was new to the area, claimed not to aspire to have her own place, claiming no association with Real Solutions.
During this time, (and picking up steam), Griffin also slid into yet Another identity.
Will San Diego�s Children Ever be safe?�
The answer? not as long as assault is called "domestic violence" and remains state and federally funded.
Unfortunately, parents can count on the fact no one from the Family Justice Center will will respond accurately about this facility, although Judges have long known the place was found by the Department of Health and Human Services, to be unsafe, unsanitary, and personnel, with an agenda.
- UPDATE SAN DIEGO:
Contrary to claims made by Hannah's House website, All judges involved during the investigation, and after, Peterson, Milliken, and now Howatt, never, responded to telephone calls questioning why Susan Griffin, currently repaying the County of San Diego, $69,000.00 for putting children at risk, and misleading officials about her educational background. Likewise, no one from the Family Justice Center responded to questions regarding their "community partnership," other than to say they checked out, according to San Diego Police Lt. Barker, although we have on tape, evidence of fraud. Yes, we have them on tape refusing to do so.
Reaction to San Diego coverage was as expected. Griffin hired a very expensive public relations firm. (Donors, that�s where your dollars went), while local adoption and divorce attorney, Jan Stocks, friend and board member of Real Solutions, appealed to San Diego's legal community sending a; "all is well, pay no mind, we're going to new facilities" letter.
Not to be outdone, Family Court Services director, Patti Chavez-Fallon, immediately repositioned Susan Griffin's position on the list of "supervision" monitors, to first place, under her new company name. As bad as Chavez-Fallon is, she reflects the Attitude of the courts.
Again, we recommend firing any attorney who does not argue against any kind of paid supervision, and Appealing any order requiring payment.
Only when appellate courts tire of judges not following the law, or when the Commission on Judicial Performance finally acts, will these facilities and the judges who allow them to continue putting children at risk, become accountable.
We also recommend firing any attorney doing business with this court-entrenched, long-time fraud. Those attorneys are listed separately in the �Attorneys� category.
Repeating, if a short visitation is necessary, always opt for the non-paying service offered by churches or friends sincerely interested in healthy relationships, *if* the service is truly needed. Otherwise, if you Need an "exchange" point, use police parking lots. That�s why we have them.
Ample proof visitation centers create more problems, in addition to being just another bureaucratic mouth to feed, exist.
Check out Amador County.
Nationally, see Michigan's, The Detroit Free Press.
As their job is, "to protect and serve," and our taxes are already paying for this service, it's the most pragmatic solution. Well, that and their parking lots are already equipped with video cameras.
Who wins as government official most abusive to children?
That would be former San Diego City Attorney, Casey Gwinn. Who else recommends doing business with people who have lied about their credentials, provided unsafe play areas, with unsanitary play environments?
A brief history.
Paid supervised visitation, was the, obscene, 1999 brain child of the Judicial Council, to ensure government micro-management of daily life�.and a cash cow to centers and therapists, throughout the nation. Supervised visitation, one of those, "sounds like a good idea" ideas, which, in practice, was the nightmare beginning of dog and pony shows, financed by litigants at the sole discretion of therapists, or; in the San Diego case, of Real Solutions� Susan Griffin, who spent over a decade posing as therapist, with the cooperation of good buddy, Patti Chavez-Fallon, who is unfortunately for the safety of San Diego�s children, the director of FCS, and in a large, conflict-of-interest ignored by the courts, allows FCS personnel to sit on the Board of Directors of Real Solutions, or Hannah's House, or whatever its called.
Sacramento Scams
Less known, (until it�s too late), is that Supervised Visitation is the tool used by the controlling parent to dominate the child and the targeted parent, by first isolating, then alienating the child from the targeted parent if the targeted parent doesn�t tow the party line.. Evidence suggests the �Professional Monitors� (meaning one forty hour, domestic violence class and a clean driving record), are easily manipulated for two reasons:
1. Finance. Although the targeted parent is frequently ordered to pay for the service, the monitor�s natural bias is to the parent the courts have deemed to be the better one, is routine. In that area, uneducated �monitors� are easy marks. But the greed of the agency, San Diego�s, Real Solutions has largely been unmatched by other, legitimate centers.
2. What person being manipulated will admit to being manipulated?
The net result is supervised visitation has become the favored tool of control freaks, greedy therapists, excluding San Diego�s Susan Griffin, who spent more than a decade, posing as a therapist.
If you believe the quaint notion the Board of Psychology exists to help the consumer, we invite you to rethink that.
Calls to Chief Executive Officer Tom O'Connor, (916.263.2644), inquiring why he authorized dropping investigations with solid evidence, were derailed by a receptionist identifying herself only as, Diane.
We�ve learned California's Board of Psychology contracts out, a limited number of hours to investigate complaints. And they do nothing. This explains, in part, why their work remains haphazard at best, and shoddy at worst. Ultimately, the Board while giving the appearance of performing a service for the public, in fact performs in an extremely, limited capacity.
Unfortunately, none of this matters to family court judges. It's the litigation industry that profits.
We pause to mention Alliant University sponsors yearly, international, "Family Violence" Conferences. The year 2002 will be their seventh and their largest, money maker. Unfortunately, the head of their Teaching Department, Neil Ribner, is under investigation for practicing psychology when his license expired.
Also, in an "official" supervision capacity, Ribner failed to protect the child from one parent verbally attacking the other.
California's then Attorney General, Bill Lockyer and local State Senator kick Dede Alpert kick off the conference. Unfortunately their actions are counter to the encouragement and commitment expressed to conference attendees. Both have overlooked overwhelming evidence visitation centers, including San Diego's first, Real Solutions, are operated by uneducated con artists.
Alpert and Lockyer return to their offices, and practice of not returning calls. Their aides write letters expressing their inability to assist. Question: Who votes for these people?
Supervised visitation is the first step to terminating parental rights, and is ordered generally for one of two reasons.
CPS types round up children sets the stage for termination of parental rights, for later adoptions, as is ever more increasingly reported by the media; "Grab the kids - - the State is looking for money"
But usually, it's simply to facilitate the wishes of the abuser.
Jeff Fritz profiled in the San Diego Union Tribune for jacking up litigation. Judges favoring attorneys is not a surprise.
Time and unnecessary heartache could be spared if judges performed their duties. While speaking to children might negatively impact the divorce industry.
Children's rights, and children themselves, sometimes desperate to be heard, are instead, shuffled away from judges and towards 'advocates', although the majority of professionals agree that a child being heard, directly, without layers, is a child who feels his or her worth.
A judge denying even one child that basic right, is a judge who should be removed from the case. If the attitude persists, it is reasonable to campaign for that judge be transferred out of family court to another, more suitable, and adult arena.
Ignored by tradition press, the divorce industry remains the largest single area of the everyday trampling of civil rights, By those on the bench.
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