About Us

The California Alliance for Families and Children is first and foremost an advocacy group. We work tirelessly to ensure that the laws of California affecting children and families are balanced, fair and just. Our main battle field is the California Legislature, but we also take our fight to the California and Federal courts.

CAFC does not represent any subset of competing interests other than the welfare of children and families. In recent decades, the politics affecting families and children has become intertwined with gender politics. In our practices and research, we work equally with women and mothers, men and fathers, and children. We are not a mothers' rights group or a fathers' rights group; rather, our focus is on the well-being of the next generation.

Why advocacy? Because it is easier, cheaper and more effective to change the law for all than to fight individual battles in court. Furthermore, legislators respond to those who are organized and have a full time presence in the halls of the Legislature. The California Alliance for Families and Children recognizes these fundamental political truths and seeks to address them by maintaining a full time legislative advocate program in Sacramento, California.

Despite our short existence (beginning in early 2004), CAFC's accomplishments have already achieved important legislative reforms affecting families and children. Our presence in the halls of California's legislature has allowed us to tell the other side of the story, creating a more balanced and equitable public policy for all.

Since 1993 at least 449 bills have been introduced in the California Legislature affecting family law, parental authority, child custody, child support, child abuse and domestic violence. These are serious issues that require fair consideration but those bills were for the most part introduced and supported by special interest and gender groups. While there are at least 12 organizations and individuals identified with registered lobbyists who work in this area mainly on behalf of these interests, prior to the formation of CAFC there were no advocates working in the hallways of the California Legislature to advocate on behalf of Fathers and represent a balanced approach to family law issues.

CAFC realizes that reforming current policies is only one part of the job. The other part is educating members and others to ensure that bad policy does not pass. In 2005 alone almost 20 gender-driven bills were introduced, each designed to exploit policies affecting our family law courts. CAFC was able to provide enough education, data and relevant material to stop about 70% of these bills from passing the Legislature.

In addition to advocacy, CAFC further promotes and supports the need for specific changes in the current adversarial process for child custody and issue resolution in divorce cases. This contentious process is very often detrimental to children and families, so we strongly advocate for the use of conflict reduction reforms, such as California's recently enacted Collaborative Family Law Act. CAFC also strongly supports the need to keep both parents actively involved in their children's lives. We believe that both parents should have substantial custody share absent a compelling finding of harm to the children.

It is our Mission to. . .

Advocate for fairness and equality in family court

• Draft proposed state legislation and seek sponsors for those bills
• Generate media publicity for family law issues and injustices
• Submit amicus briefs in cases involving equality and fairness
• Facilitate educational workshops for judges, mediators, and court personnel

Advocate for conflict reduction reforms

• Provide current information regarding Collaborative Practice
• Provide information to the Judicial Council Administrative Office of the Court
• Work directly with Center for Families, Children & the Courts (CFCC) liaisons to help improve outreach on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Collaborate and work with mental health and family law experts to reduce post- separation conflict for the well being of children

Advocate for joint custody and co-parenting

• Prepare and distribute policy documents explaining co-parenting and joint custody benefits supported by the most recent evidence-based studies and data
• Collaborate with some of the most respected and peer-reviewed experts in the field to ensure the accuracy of information
• Outreach to judges, mediators, attorneys, other family law practitioners and the public by holding training and educational conferences

The California Alliance for Families & Chilredn was founded in 2004 by Michael Robinson and Paul Stroub. Mr. Robinson is the CAFC's chief advocate in Sacramento and his efforts have been instrumental in placing California in the forefront of family law reforms. A diverse group of experts makes up CAFC's Advisory Committee, which provides direction and input to the group's efforts. With your active support, we believe that the California Alliance for Families and Children can make a huge difference. Read more about our founders, officers and advisory members.