California Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in California that involves anger management, parenting, co-parenting, or substance-abuse education.
What does Clearway offer?
People are sometimes ordered or referred to an educational program as part of a family-law, custody, probation, or other California court-related matter. The type of program required can depend on the circumstances of the case and the exact wording of the court order.
Clearway Institute offers four self-paced online courses: anger management, parenting, co-parenting, and substance-abuse education. Not every course is appropriate for every court order, and completing an online course does not automatically mean a particular California court, probation department, or agency will accept it — always read your order carefully and confirm the required program with the court, probation officer, attorney, or other referring agency when you're not sure.
Which type of class do you need?
Start with whichever matches your order or situation — each course page has the full curriculum before you enroll.
What if a California court ordered it?
California courts most often order a batterer intervention program — not a general anger-management class — as a condition of probation after a domestic-violence-related conviction. Under Penal Code §§ 243(e)(1) and 1203.097, that program has to run at least one year with weekly two-hour sessions, and it can't be swapped for couples or family counseling.
Family courts can separately order counseling in a custody dispute under Family Code § 3190, for up to one year, independent of any criminal case. Because California doesn't have one certification standard for a general anger-management class the way it does for batterer intervention programs, confirm with your court exactly which category your order is asking for before you enroll.
What's the difference between classes?
Parenting vs. co-parenting. Parenting covers general child-development, discipline, and communication skills, and comes up in a wide range of family cases. Co-parenting is built specifically for separated or divorcing parents — coordinating two households, handling custody transitions, and keeping kids out of the middle — and is the more common requirement in a custody or divorce order.
Anger management vs. a certified intervention program. Many states, California included, treat general educational anger-management coursework as legally distinct from a state-certified batterer intervention, family-violence intervention, or abuser-treatment program ordered specifically in a domestic-violence case — see “What if a California court ordered it?” above for how that distinction works here. If your order names a specific certified program by name, an educational anger-management course usually isn't an automatic substitute — check with your court.
Where can I verify requirements?
The most reliable answer always comes from whoever issued your order — the court clerk, your probation or parole officer, your attorney, or the agency that referred you. Below are free, California-specific places to start if you need legal help, counseling, or crisis support along the way.
Legal reference material
For anyone who wants to read the underlying statutes for themselves, here is the reference material this guide is based on — California civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Court-Ordered Counseling in Custody DisputesCalifornia Family Code § 3190
Lets a family court order parents (and sometimes children) into outpatient counseling with a licensed mental health professional, for up to one year, when a custody or visitation dispute poses a substantial danger to the child's best interest. The court must consider any history of domestic violence in the preceding five years and allocates the cost between the parties.
Custody Determination Factors, Including Abuse HistoryCalifornia Family Code § 3011
When deciding custody, courts must weigh the health, safety, and welfare of the child, each parent's history of abuse or substance abuse, and the nature of each parent's contact with the child. Alleged abuse generally needs corroborating evidence (police, medical, or domestic-violence-agency records) to factor into the ruling.
Civil Harassment Restraining OrdersCalifornia Code of Civil Procedure § 527.6
Lets a person who has experienced harassment — unlawful violence, a credible threat of violence, or a knowing course of conduct causing substantial emotional distress — petition for a temporary and then longer-term civil restraining order (up to five years, renewable). There's no filing fee for petitions alleging violence, stalking, or threats.
Criminal law
Domestic BatteryCalifornia Penal Code § 243(e)(1)
Battery against a spouse, cohabitant, co-parent, former spouse, fiancé(e), or dating partner is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $2,000 fine and/or up to one year in county jail. If probation is granted, the law requires at least one year in a batterer's treatment program as a condition.
Domestic Violence Probation ConditionsCalifornia Penal Code § 1203.097
When probation follows a conviction involving a domestic-violence victim, this section sets a minimum 36-month probation term and requires completion of an approved batterer's program of at least one year (weekly two-hour sessions, same-gender group format, specific curriculum content).
Corporal Injury on a Spouse or CohabitantCalifornia Penal Code § 273.5
Willfully inflicting a physical injury on a spouse, cohabitant, or co-parent is a felony punishable by two to four years in state prison (or up to a year in county jail), with enhanced penalties for repeat offenses within seven years.
Criminal ThreatsCalifornia Penal Code § 422
Willfully threatening death or great bodily injury to another, in a way specific and immediate enough to cause sustained fear for their safety (or their immediate family's), is punishable by up to a year in county jail or a state prison term.