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Ohio Domestic Relations Summit yields new ideas for Summit County’s court system

SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter

Published: July 11, 2014

Children caught in the middle of a nasty divorce may feel confused and isolated, even blaming themselves for what’s happening. But Summit County Domestic Relations Court officials are looking to create programs to help them understand and cope with the difficulties of divorce.

It’s one of the many ideas culled from this year’s Ohio Domestic Relations Summit, which took place in Columbus in April. The event featured representatives from domestic relations courts and other interested parties from around the state who gathered to discuss best practices and ways to make improvements.

Summit County’s team consisted of Summit County Domestic Relations Court judges John Quinn and Carol Dezso, Court Administrator Kenneth Teleis, Magistrate Sharon Dennis, a member of the statewide planning committee for the summit, Chief Assistant Prosecutor at the Child Support Enforcement Agency Joe Fantozzi, Attorney/Mediator Howard Walton and Guardian Ad Litem Joan Shaffer.

“Summit County’s Domestic Relations Court has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to our differentiated case management practices,” said Sue Tucker, community outreach director at the court. “We recognize that some people need more help than others. We already have several programs in place for adults that address custody from the parent perspective. During the summit, we got insight into how other counties are addressing children’s needs.”

“There is no doubt that divorce can adversely affect children,” said Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge Carol Dezso, who has been tasked with collecting information about similar programs in other courts in Ohio. “There are about five or six courts in Ohio that have programs and I am examining them to see how they work and what effect they are having.

“We will most likely partner with someone to design the programs,” said Judge Dezso. “I have also spoken to someone at Akron public schools about the idea.”

Judge Dezso said the children would likely be grouped by age, i.e., preschool, grade school, intermediate and high school.

Tucker said the initiative would complement existing programs like Remember the Children, a free 3-hour parent education class providing insight into children’s reactions, emotions and developmental needs during and after divorce. She said parents with children under 18 are required to attend it within 60 days of filing a divorce proceeding.

There is also Positive Solutions, which was created to deal with ongoing high-conflict situations in which parents frequently file repeated motions with the court and often involve their children. To encourage cooperative co-parenting, Tucker said parents are often ordered to take three, 3-hour classes to learn conflict management and communication skills. In addition, the Working Together Program addresses the legal rights and responsibilities of never married parents or grandparents seeking visitation.

Ten years ago, Judge Dezso said the court began referring families to the “Our Family Wizard” online calendar to allow parents to post the child’s schedule and appointments, helping to eliminate confusion on pickup times, vacations and other matters.

Increasing case management efficiency was another “hot-button” topic at the summit, said Summit County Domestic Relations Court Judge John Quinn.

“We recently added a case management evaluation program called CourTools, which tracks performance measurements, so that we can eliminate bottlenecks and determine how best to allocate resources,” he said.

“One of the biggest problems we talked about is the growing number of people who are representing themselves,” said Judge Quinn. “It may be due to the economy or the information that is now available on the Internet.

“The problem is not all situations are that straightforward; sometimes there are pensions that need to be divided or other complex issues.”

Judge Quinn said the court places a lot of emphasis on resolving disputes through mediation. He said there is an informal dispute resolution option available. “All the parties have to do is contact the court. If the case is appropriate and a resolution is reached there is no filing fee.”

For those unable to go the mediation route, court officials have posted the various forms needed for filing on the website (http://drcourt.org/wp/forms/).

“The majority of domestic violence and unmarried parentage parties that come before me are unrepresented,” said Judge Dezso. “Most of these people don’t know the law so my challenge is how do I process these cases without stepping over the line of giving legal advice.

“What I have started to do is ask the necessary questions that can help me make a decision. For example, what is the age, mental and emotional state of the child? If I ask both parties the same questions, it is fair and I get what I need.”

Judge Quinn said the summit was a great opportunity for the court to compare its operations to others in the state.

“In Summit County we are doing very well, and the summit gave us some good ideas of how to improve our services to families,” he said.


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