Florida Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida 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 Florida court ordered it?
Florida treats a certified Batterers' Intervention Program (BIP) — licensed under Fla. Stat. §§ 741.325, 741.327, and 741.281 — as a separate category from general educational coursework. Courts must order a certified BIP as part of a domestic violence injunction under Fla. Stat. § 741.30, unless the judge states in writing why that's inappropriate.
Outside that specific injunction context, Florida courts have broad discretion under Fla. Stat. § 948.03 to add counseling or education conditions to probation case by case — which is often where a general anger-management or parenting course fits. Filing for a domestic-violence or repeat-violence injunction in Florida is free and doesn't require a lawyer, and the order itself will say which category of program is required.
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, Florida 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 Florida 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, Florida-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 — Florida civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Parenting Plans and Time-SharingFla. Stat. § 61.13
Governs how Florida courts create parenting plans and time-sharing schedules, directing judges to weigh each parent's capacity to communicate and put the child's needs first. Courts have broad discretion to impose conditions serving the child's best interests, which in practice can include a counseling referral.
Domestic Violence Injunction (Protection Order)Fla. Stat. § 741.30
The civil process for obtaining a domestic violence injunction against a family or household member. As part of a final injunction, a judge may order the respondent to complete treatment, intervention, or counseling services at the respondent's expense, and must order a certified batterers' intervention program unless the court states in writing why that would be inappropriate.
Injunction Against Repeat, Dating, or Sexual ViolenceFla. Stat. § 784.046
Lets a victim petition for a civil injunction against someone who is not a family/household member but has committed repeat, dating, or sexual violence. Filing is free, no attorney is required, and the court can include any terms it deems necessary for the petitioner's protection.
Batterer Intervention Programs (context only)Fla. Stat. §§ 741.325, 741.327, 741.281
Establishes Florida's certified Batterers' Intervention Program (BIP) system — a specific, state-monitored format with its own licensing and curriculum requirements, and a standard probation condition after a domestic violence conviction. This is a distinct, separately certified program type from general anger-management education.
Criminal law
AssaultFla. Stat. § 784.011
An intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to another, combined with an apparent ability to carry it out and an act creating a well-founded fear of imminent violence. A second-degree misdemeanor.
BatteryFla. Stat. § 784.03
Intentionally touching or striking another against their will, or intentionally causing bodily harm. Simple battery is a first-degree misdemeanor, escalating to a felony for repeat offenders.
Aggravated BatteryFla. Stat. § 784.045
Battery becomes “aggravated” when it causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement, or is committed with a deadly weapon. A second-degree felony.
Probation Conditions (General)Fla. Stat. § 948.03
Lists standard probation conditions a Florida court may impose after conviction and gives courts broad discretion to add other conditions it considers proper — commonly used to require counseling, education programs, or classes case-by-case.