Kansas must do more to prevent more tragedies like 2 women murdered in custody battle | Opinion
As an attorney, social worker, mediator and divorce coach, I’ve seen firsthand the needs of children navigating the complexities of family conflict. That’s why in 2008, I established The Layne Project, a social service agency dedicated to offering crucial support to these vulnerable young people and their families as they deal with issues of custody and co-parenting.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families affected by a recent tragedy in Kansas and Oklahoma that emphasizes the critical importance of safe parenting time exchanges. The disappearance and deaths of Kansas women Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley during a remote custody exchange show the need for outlets for supervised parenting time and exchanges. Butler was in a child custody battle with Tifany Machel Adams, paternal grandmother of Butler’s children, and is one of four people arrested for first degree murder connected with the case.
The Layne Project provides personalized therapy, comprehensive support groups, supervised parenting time and more to bolster resiliency and help strengthen our clients to meet change with curiosity instead of fear. Over the last year, we have provided 287 families the services and support to navigate the challenges of family court, and want to expand services to families in need.
Through its Cady Justice Reform Initiative, the National Council for State Courts has made great progress in moving state courts toward using problem-solving courts to help address the incidence of violence in custody cases. Kansas’ Johnson County District Court is one of few state courts in the nation that has implemented triage to help families access the right services at the right time, minimizing trauma to children and families. Yet, without necessary community support, the state courts’ efforts will be naught.
Families lack funding to access crucial intervention services, such as supervised parenting time and exchange. Last year in Kansas, 46% of families with children struggled with paying basic household expenses, and family separation puts even a greater financial hardship on them. Families in need of services are unable to access them because of a lack of funding, causing further stress — and too often leading to unsafe and irrational decisions. This plight increases the risk to safety and reactivity further traumatizing families. Yet, this far too often goes under the radar, and is not openly discussed though it remains a too-frequent occurrence in our community today.
There have been numerous incidents across the country where violence erupted during custody exchanges. Yet presently in Johnson County, there are no low- or no-cost supervised exchange or parenting time facilities. As part of our mission to safeguard childhoods, we at The Layne Project are doing everything we can to lessen the financial burden of the families we serve. We have partnered with Kansas Alliance for Nonprofits, Inc. to help fund scholarships to offer qualifying families free or reduced rate services.
More must be done in our community to minimize the duration and degree of conflict in custody disputes. The collateral damage to our community’s children and families is too great not to act.
Trina A. Nudson is an attorney and CEO of The Layne Project, Inc. in Olathe.
