Submitted article
With a goal of minimizing conflict for Ohio children and families, teams of domestic relations court judges and their justice system partners from Crawford County participated in a regional conference in preparation for a statewide summit.
Teams from around Ohio have been meeting throughout the year to assess their case management systems, examine resources, and share promising practices leading up to the statewide Domestic Relations Summit next year.
Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor charged domestic relations judges to lead a delegation of additional key leaders from their communities who have the vision and ability to effect real change in the lives of children and families in transition. Community justice system partners may include: a member of the bar, guardian ad litem or custody evaluator, child support enforcement agency representative, victim service provider, and court and/or clerk staff.
Participating from Crawford County were: Judge Russell B. Wiseman, Magistrate Robert Clark Neff Jr., Magistrate Mary Eileen Holm, Attorney Brad Starkey as Guardian ad Litem, Domestic Relations Attorney Stephen F. Tilson, and Court Mediator Leslie Mack.
To assess the current state of their court, using a facilitator provided by the Supreme Court, teams will complete an assessment of their local case management practices by identifying tasks that each party performs to advance a case through the entire caseflow process. Teams will analyze the case management for steps that can be streamlined, combined or reorganized. Then, teams will assess their resources. Teams will analyze their resources to ensure their optimal use. Finally, teams will identify challenges and solutions.
The summit – April 24-25, 2014 in Columbus – will shine a light on Ohio’s domestic relations courts, which have jurisdiction over all proceedings involving divorce or dissolution of marriages, annulment, legal separation, spousal support, and allocation of parental rights and responsibilities for the care of children.
Modeled after the National Summit on Children, the idea for the summit came about after the success of the Supreme Court’s Beyond the Numbers project, which primarily focused on improving court processes for the benefit of children and families.
“Domestic relations cases affect families and children in crisis profoundly and have widespread and lasting ripple effects throughout our country,” said local Magistrate Robert Clark Neff. “As participants in the judicial process, we have obligations to the families we serve to be mindful of their needs and to assist them in resolving their differences as fairly and efficiently as possible. As we encounter changes in the law and changes in the circumstances of families in our community, we are challenged to reexamine our procedures, maintain what is working, and adjust what can be improved. The Domestic Relations Summit and the planning process we are involved in now provide an excellent opportunity to share ideas with other Courts, reflect on our current needs, and practices and to discover and implement the best available practices to the betterment of our community.”