Delaware Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware court ordered it?
The Delaware statutes reviewed for this page do not mandate a specific anger-management class after a conviction. Counseling appears on the civil side: under 10 Del. C. § 1045(a)(10), the Family Court may order the respondent in a protection from abuse case to attend treatment or counseling programs. The state coalition lists batterer intervention programs run by CHILD, Inc. and Turning Point at People's Place II.
Protection from abuse relief is generally for a fixed period of up to one year, with no-contact and abuse-restraint relief allowed for up to two years, and extensions require a finding after a hearing. In custody cases, 13 Del. C. § 722(a)(7) directs the court to consider evidence of domestic violence. Orders differ, so confirm exactly what your own order requires before enrolling in any course.
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, Delaware 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 Delaware 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, Delaware-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 — Delaware civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Protection from abuse orders: relief and duration10 Del. C. § 1045
The Family Court may order no contact, temporary custody, surrender of firearms, and attendance at treatment or counseling programs. Relief is for a fixed period of up to 1 year, up to 2 years for certain no-contact and abuse-restraint relief, and longer in aggravating circumstances, with extensions requiring a finding after a hearing.
Child custody: best interests of the child13 Del. C. § 722
The court determines custody by the child's best interests, considering a list of factors that includes evidence of domestic violence as provided for in Chapter 7A of Title 13, as well as the criminal history of any party or household resident.
Criminal law
Offensive touching11 Del. C. § 601
Intentionally touching another person, knowing it is likely to cause offense or alarm, is an unclassified misdemeanor in the version reviewed. Intentionally striking another person with a bodily fluid is graded higher, as a class A misdemeanor.
Stalking11 Del. C. § 1312
Knowingly engaging in a course of conduct, meaning three or more separate incidents, directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear physical injury or suffer significant mental distress. The offense is graded higher in listed circumstances, such as violating a no-contact order, causing injury, or possessing a deadly weapon.
Criminal contempt of a domestic violence protective order11 Del. C. § 1271A
Knowingly violating or failing to obey a Family Court or other recognized domestic violence protective order is a criminal offense. It is graded higher when the violation caused physical injury or involved a deadly weapon or firearm.