This is your go-to Podcast, where we help parents navigate the complexities of family life. Hosted by Ali Kessler of Greyson’s Choice, we’ll cover everything from understanding domestic violence to navigating the legal system, finding the right therapists, life hacks, family law, mental health, custody battles, and how to protect children in dangerous situations.

Advocating for Family Court Reform: A Deep Dive with Danielle Pollack, Originator of Kayden's Law

In this episode of Grey Minds Think Alike, host Ali talks with Danielle Pollack, the policy manager at the National Family Violence Law Center at GW Law and founder of the National Safe Parents Organization. Danielle shares her journey in creating systemic reforms to improve family court outcomes for children and their safe parents. She discusses the passage and impact of Kayden's Law, aimed at ensuring child safety in custody cases, and the ongoing efforts to implement its provisions across various states. The conversation delves into key elements like evidence-based judicial training, mandating consideration of family violence evidence, regulation of expert testimony on abuse, and the need for safe and effective reunification programs. Danielle also provides insights on how advocates can engage lawmakers to drive change, the challenges of legislative processes, and the importance of informed public awareness.

About Danielle Pollack:

Danielle Pollack is the Policy Manager at the National Family Violence Law Center at GW Law in Washington, D.C., and the originator of Kayden’s Law. She collaborates closely with state and federal lawmakers, partner organizations, advocates, and families to create comprehensive child-centric policy reform and provide public education on family courts.

She has advised on, co-drafted, and provided testimony on custody and coercive control laws enacted in many states and federally, including the newly passed section of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Title XV, called the Keeping Children Safe From Family Violence Act (aka “Kayden’s Law”), signed into law by President Biden in March of 2022. The new federal law incentivizes states to train family court judges and court personnel on coercive control and other types of family violence. It restricts them from making child-endangering custody orders.

Her recent state work includes Connecticut’s Coercive Control Law, Jennifers’ Law, Colorado’s Julie’s Law, Florida’s Greyson’s Law, Pennsylvania’s Kayden’s Law, and Washington State’s new coercive control law. Her short documentary film, Voices for Reform, about family court system failures when children are at risk of violence, has been used to raise awareness at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), in courts, and at universities internationally. She is co-founder of the National Safe Parents Organization (NSPO) and co-director of The Court Said USA.

Contact:

Website

About Ali Kessler: Ali Kessler is a writer, marketing professional, passionate parent advocate, and founder of Greyson’s Choice, a 501(c)(3) created to raise awareness about the risk of domestic abuse on children. Greyson’s Choice was founded by Ali Kessler in memory of her sweet, vibrant, and fearless 4.5-year-old son, Greyson, who was murdered by his biological father in a murder-suicide during an unsupervised, court-approved visit in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, in 2021. This came just hours after her petition for a domestic violence injunction was denied by a Broward County judge, citing that the “petitioner has failed to allege any overt acts by the respondent which would constitute domestic violence under Florida Statute.”

Ali’s advocacy efforts culminated in successfully passing Greyson’s Law during the 2023 legislative...