North Carolina Court & Family Education Guide
Information for anyone navigating a court order, custody case, or probation requirement in North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina court ordered it?
North Carolina courts can — and in many domestic-violence probation cases generally must, absent a finding otherwise — order completion of an abuser treatment program approved by the state's Domestic Violence Commission, under N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 50B-3 and 15A-1343. Approved programs have to run at least 39 hours of group treatment over 26 to 30 weeks.
That's a distinct, state-defined category from a general anger-management class. If your protective order or probation condition names an approved abuser treatment program specifically, confirm with the court or your probation officer whether an online educational course can also satisfy — or supplement — that requirement in your case.
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, North Carolina 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 North Carolina 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, North Carolina-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 — North Carolina civil and family-law sections first, then criminal law.
Civil & family law
Child Custody — Best Interest StandardN.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-13.2
Custody is awarded based on the child's best interest, with written findings required. Courts must consider evidence of domestic violence between the parties and enter orders that best protect victims; a parent's absence caused by fleeing domestic violence cannot be held against them.
Domestic Violence Protective Order — Relief AvailableN.C. Gen. Stat. § 50B-3
When a court finds domestic violence occurred, it can order the abusive party to stay away, leave a shared residence, pay support, and avoid contact. The court may also order the responsible party to attend and complete an abuser treatment program approved by the North Carolina Domestic Violence Commission.
Who May Seek a Protective OrderN.C. Gen. Stat. § 50B-1
Defines “domestic violence” and who qualifies as a protected “victim” (spouses, former spouses, people who live or lived together, those with a child in common, or current/former household members), and the threshold acts needed to obtain protection.
Criminal law
Simple Assault and BatteryN.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-33(a)
A basic assault, assault and battery, or participation in a simple affray is a Class 2 misdemeanor, the lowest misdemeanor class, covering most minor physical altercations without serious injury or a weapon.
Aggravated Misdemeanor Assault (Class A1)N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-33(c)–(d)
Assault becomes a more serious Class A1 misdemeanor when it involves serious injury, a deadly weapon, or certain protected victims, such as a pregnant woman, a child under 12, or certain protected occupations.
Assault Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury / StrangulationN.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-32.4
Makes it a Class F felony to inflict serious bodily injury on another person, and a Class H felony to assault by strangulation, even without visible injury — often charged in more severe domestic-violence-related incidents.
Domestic Violence Condition of ProbationN.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1343 (the domestic violence probation condition)
When a court finds a probationer responsible for an act of domestic violence and an approved abuser treatment program is reasonably available, the court generally must order completion of that program as a condition of probation.