Vermont family-law reform
Shared parenting.
Family continuity.
Children first.
When families change, children should not unnecessarily lose the people they love. We support shared parenting when both parents are safe and capable, along with carefully limited protections for children’s established relationships with grandparents and the family of a parent who has died.
Child-centered
Focused on each child’s needs
Safe
Supported by evidence
Practical
Clearer orders, less conflict
The issue in plain language
Vermont breaks its promise to put children first.
“the court should focus on the best interest of the child, not the best interest of the parent.”
Cloutier v. Blowers, Vermont Supreme Court (2001)
Vermont’s Promise
Children and their relationships come first.
1 · BEST INTERESTS
“The court’s paramount consideration in awarding parental rights and responsibilities is the best interests of the child.”
Begins v. Begins, Vermont Supreme Court (1998)
2 · SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
“Any agreement between the parents that divides or shares parental rights and responsibilities shall be presumed to be in the best interests of the child.”
Vermont Law: 15 V.S.A. § 666(a)
3 · parent-child relationships
“The interest of parents in the care, custody, and control of their children … is perhaps the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests.”
Troxel v. Granville, U.S. Supreme Court (2000)
4 · modern families
Vermont law has repeatedly changed to recognize that families and parenthood take many forms.
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The Reality
One parent’s refusal comes before the child’s needs.
1 · BEST INTERESTS
Even if shared custody would serve the child, one parent can take it off the table—without giving a reason.
2 · SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
The child’s needs remain the same, but one parent’s refusal alone makes shared custody unavailable.
3 · parent-child relationships
A child can lose one parent as a custodian solely because one parent refuses to share. No harm needs to be shown—even when shared custody would serve the child best.
4 · modern families
Children are assumed by Vermont law to have one “primary caregiver.”
A Vermont law that puts one parent first cannot put children first.
Grounded in law, research, and experience
A longstanding problem.
A modern opportunity.
Our proposals draw on Vermont statutes and court decisions, peer-reviewed research, experience from other states, and the practical realities families face.
1997
A Vermont Supreme Court dissent warns that the law can reward a parent’s refusal to cooperate.
2012
Vermont Law Review examines the need for a modern shared-parenting framework.
2023
A systematic review evaluates 39 peer-reviewed studies of children’s living arrangements.
TODAY
The central statutory restriction remains, even as families, research, and safety protections have evolved.
The question is not which parent deserves more. It is how the child can retain the safe relationships, care, and resources that support their development.
Who we are
Vermonters working to keep children connected.
Vermont Kids Connected is a volunteer-led coalition of parents, grandparents, family members, professionals, and concerned Vermonters. We advocate for child-centered, evidence-based reform that preserves safe family relationships and gives courts practical tools for resolving disagreement.
Help move reform forward
Keep Vermont kids connected.
Learn about the reform, add your support, or share an experience that can help lawmakers understand what is at stake.