This spring, four visitors from Japan visited Pensacola as a part of the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) under a project titled Parental Abduction Cases: Children, Families, and Courts. The purpose of this project was “to introduce subject matter experts who handle visitation for parents in difficult divorce or custody cases and discuss best practices for handling these challenging situations; to review current academic research on the long and short‑term effects of abduction and parental alienation on children; to visit NGOs, academics, judges, child protective services, social workers and lawyers to hear how these professionals encourage compliance with court orders, and explore the guiding principles in enforcement of these orders in the U.S., especially the value of allowing both parents to have access in a custody dispute or parental abduction; and to understand the legal, judicial, and social work‑related aspects of visitation and family reconciliation in cases of child abduction.”
The Honorable Sherri Myers greeted the group at Pensacola City Hall and provided an overview of Pensacola’s history and the various functions of the city government. The visitors next went to the Pensacola Police Department where Lieutenant Jimmy Donohoe discussed how city law enforcement officials work to prevent crimes against children while time with Sheriff David Morgan at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office focused on the best practices for handling challenging situations.
The Honorable Terrance R. Ketchel of the North Okaloosa County Unified Family Court welcomed the group to his chambers and spoke about how the Unified Family Court operates under the “One Family, One Judge” model. During this discussion, the group explored the procedures of the Unified Family Court and examined the value of allowing both parents to have access in a custody dispute.
The role of joint custody was examined further in a discussion with the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council Youth Diplomats. The visitors also shared their goals for participating on the IVLP and answered the students’ questions about life in Japan before joining them for a weekend dolphin cruise in Pensacola Bay.
At the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of West Florida, the Japanese participants met with Dr. Richard Hough and Interim Vice-Provost Dr. Kimberly McCorkle. The group discussed legal protections within the judicial system regarding adoption, foster care, custody issues, and protections for children. Then at the Gulf Coast Kid’s House (GCKH) Executive Director Stacey Kostevicki and Assistant State Attorney Anne Patterson explained how teams at the GCKH facilitate the investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse and neglect and promote child abuse prevention awareness through community education.
At 90Works Executive Director Cate Jordan shared how her organization provides services and education for abused and neglected children and their families in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties. During the site visit, she gave an overview of the programs provided, methods for evaluating their success, and an explanation of how the organization funds its mission.
Time at the Escambia Regional Juvenile Detention Center with Detention Superintendent Major Regina Berry and Assistant Superintendents Daryll Bolton and Sylvester Scott focused on services provided to detained youth and provided insight into common offenses and typical backgrounds.
As a way to experience the American tradition of volunteering, the group participated in a service activity with Ocean Hour Pensacola where they met with founder Sharon Gincauskas. Ocean Hour is the world’s first international weekly clean-up project, leveraging social media and technology to motivate and inspire “clean ups” around the globe on a weekly basis.
The Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council thanks everyone who helped make this project a success and gives a special shout-out to Liz and Basil Yelverton and Paula Drummond and Joe Hemmer who welcomed the visitors into their homes for a meal.
