A mom from Long Island has campaigned for a decade to protect kids caught in the middle of child custody battles ever since she lost her own toddler. Two-year-old Kyra Franchetti was shot and killed by her father during court-ordered unsupervised visitation in 2016. He later committed suicide by setting his home on fire.
Sadly, Kyra's case is not unique. A national study from the U.S. Administration for Children and Families in the Department of Health & Human Services shows close to 1,500 children died from various kinds of maltreatment in 2024 with the top causes listed as neglect and physical abuse.
The New York State legislature recently passed Kyra’s Law, which would require courts to put a child’s health, life, and safety before all else when deciding custody and visitation. Judges would also be required to take training on domestic violence, child abuse and child sexual abuse.
The Society for the Protection and Care of Children works closely with families and courts in the Greater Rochester Region. CEO Laurie Valentine said child safety isn’t just physical —it's also psychological.
“When in high-conflict custody cases, oftentimes kids are right in the middle and being pulled in both directions," Valentine said, "and they oftentimes care deeply for both parents and feel torn in their loyalties and conflicted, and depending on how that's played out in front of them, they are observing either healthy or unhealthy ways of managing conflict."
According to a 2024 report by the Monroe County Department of Health and Human Services, around 45% of the region’s children were exposed to parent mental health challenges, and the same percentage were exposed to other traumas. Twenty-eight percent were exposed to domestic violence.
Valentine said while working with families in the court system, SPCC tries to encourage the caregivers to heal themselves for their children’s sake.
"The more we can strengthen families and help parents and other caretakers heal from past traumas, the safer the children are going to be," she said.
"They're adults and they may be far more set in their ways," Valentine continued. "So it's important to find your specialists, your court professionals who are able to get around some of those stigmas that are associated with mental health assistance. We call it like a 'coming to Jesus moment,' but it's to kind of have that connection and that realization of how their actions and behaviors affect their children."
