Illinois Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois court ordered it?
Illinois has no single statewide ‘anger management’ certification law — courts order counseling case by case under the general probation-conditions statute, 730 ILCS 5/5-6-3(b)(4). Domestic-violence-specific counseling is usually channeled instead through an IDHS-approved partner abuse intervention program under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, 750 ILCS 60/214 — a separate regulatory category.
That distinction matters if your order specifically names a partner abuse intervention program rather than general anger-management education, since the two aren't interchangeable. A first domestic battery conviction also carries a mandatory minimum 48 hours in jail under 720 ILCS 5/12-3.2 — one reason Illinois courts treat these cases more formally. Confirm with your court which category applies to you.
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, Illinois 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 Illinois 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, Illinois-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 — Illinois civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Allocation of Parental Responsibilities — Best Interest Factors750 ILCS 5/602.5
In custody (“allocation of parental responsibilities”) cases, courts must weigh best-interest factors including the mental and physical health of everyone involved and each parent's willingness to facilitate a relationship with the other parent.
Order of Protection — Counseling as a Remedy750 ILCS 60/214
Under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act, a court issuing an order of protection may require or recommend the respondent undergo counseling with a social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist, family service agency, or a program designed for domestic-violence abusers.
Civil No-Contact / Stalking No-Contact Orders740 ILCS 21 (Stalking No Contact Order Act); 740 ILCS 22 (Civil No Contact Order Act)
Lets a petitioner who isn't eligible under the Domestic Violence Act (e.g., non-family stalking or non-domestic sexual assault) obtain a civil protective order, with the same kind of court discretion to include counseling-type conditions.
Criminal law
Battery720 ILCS 5/12-3
A person commits battery by knowingly, without legal justification, causing bodily harm to another or making physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature. A Class A misdemeanor.
Domestic Battery720 ILCS 5/12-3.2
Applies when the victim is a family or household member. A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum of 48 consecutive hours' imprisonment (unless community service is ordered instead); a second or later conviction is a Class 4 felony.
Aggravated Battery / Aggravated Domestic Battery720 ILCS 5/12-3.05 (aggravated battery); 720 ILCS 5/12-3.3 (aggravated domestic battery)
Elevates battery to a felony when aggravating factors are present, such as great bodily harm, use of a weapon, strangulation, or a prior domestic battery conviction. Aggravated domestic battery involving strangulation or great bodily harm is a Class 2 felony.
Conditions of Probation — Court-Ordered Treatment730 ILCS 5/5-6-3(b)(4)
As a discretionary condition of probation or conditional discharge, a court may require a defendant to undergo medical, psychological, or psychiatric treatment — the general statutory hook courts use to order anger-management or similar counseling.