Court Support Services Division
Frequently Asked Questions
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Family Services is dedicated to assisting courts and clients in resolving family and interpersonal conflicts in a timely way in each Geographical Area/Judicial District Court.
COURT BASED EMPLOYEES
- Family Services Supervisors
- Lead Family Relations Counselors
- Family Relations Counselors
- Family Intake Assistants and Support Staff
In the Family Civil Court:
Family Services addresses concerns such as child custody, child access, financial matters, property disputes, and Temporary Restraining Orders. This is done through Alternative Dispute Resolution services, such as Early Intervention Program, General Case Management, Pre-trial Settlement Negotiation, Conciliation, Mediation, and Conflict Resolution Conferences, where disputes can often be addressed in a way that promotes individual responsibility and self-determination. There are situations when parents cannot reach an agreement regarding their parenting dispute. In these cases, Family Services conducts Issue-Focused Evaluations, Comprehensive Evaluations and Intensive Case Management Service. Parenting plans that are focused on the best interests of the children are then recommended to the parents and the court.
CASE PROCESSING FUNCTIONS
Resolution Plan Date (New January 2021)
- JB-Family Services will be available to conduct RPD Screens as directed by the Court or as scheduled in each Judicial District. The Screening will be the initial meeting for a family entering the system. It will be the forum for parents to obtain information about the process and the most effective pathway to resolution. The role of the FRC is to explore the areas of a particular filing in a global fashion. The screenings are an opportunity to see where the parties stand as it relates to the resolution of the issues within a particular situation. As part of the Screening, the FRC will lead a global and educational discussion with the litigants relative to the case/filing and whether the parties have communicated about the major components of the case. The Screening process will also include but be not limited to: 1.) a discussion with the parties regarding the current filing, 2.) a review of the historical parenting relationship, 3.) areas of common ground, and 4.) the nature of the pending parenting and/or financial disputes. At the conclusion of the process, the parties will have a clear direction as it relates to next steps in the court process. JB-Family Services will also recommend to the Court a specific TRACK and any services necessary to resolve the parenting/financial dispute.
Family Civil Triage/Intake Project
- Judicial Branch- Family Services staff along with a team of national experts developed the first formal civil/intake screening tool in the country. The instrument is designed to assist the Family Service staff with identifying the level of conflict and complexity of issues. This facilitates the matching of appropriate intervention(s) in accordance with evidenced base practices and enhances differentiated case management. Statewide roll out was completed in January 2005 and currently every Family Services Office participates in the Civil Triage/Intake Project.
Early Intervention Program
- JB-Family Services implemented a program emphasizing strategies to assist litigants at the early stage of the court process. To meet this objective, a two-pronged approach will be utilized with the goal of 1) ensuring parents have access to educational opportunities regarding the court process and impact of separation/divorce on children and 2) providing families with a structured intervention centering on case management and the short-term stabilization of parenting interactions. A Family Relations Counselor will be assigned to work with the parties to resolve conflicts, monitor compliance with Court orders, develop parenting plans, and provide status reports and action plans to the Court.
Parenting Education Programs
- JB-Family Services is responsible for administering the monitoring of statutorily mandated Parenting Education Programs for divorcing parents. Family Services contracts with community and private agencies statewide to provide these six-hour programs. Recent modifications to the programs’ curricula include an emphasis on child development and the developmental stages of children, cultural aspects, adjustment of children to changes in the family structure, conflict resolution and dispute resolution skills by parents, co-parenting and major decision making for children by parents and parenting time for both parents.
Custody and Visitation Mediations
- Family Relations Counselors, who work in either a singular or male-female team format, mediate, when possible, with parents conjointly for up to three, two-hour sessions. These efforts are geared toward assisting parents in resolving their parenting disputes in a non-coercive and confidential manner that is mutually agreeable.
General Case Management
- JB-Family Services provides General Case Management within the Family Civil Court statewide. The goal is to provide early intervention in custody/access matters, coordinate needed services, offer compliance monitoring, and facilitate dispute resolution for clients with pending motions. Every effort is made to address the issues impeding resolution of the conflict, provide the Court with required information, and assist the families in reaching a parenting plan. Testimony is provided to the Court as necessary with the goal of expediting the overall process.
Conflict Resolution Conference
- The Conflict Resolution Conference is a confidential alternative dispute resolution process for custody and visitation issues that allows the Family Relations Counselor to meet with the parents and/or attorneys together and review a limited amount of information if necessary. The Family Relations Counselor is able to offer recommendations to the parents at the conclusion of the process if the parties are unable to resolve their dispute.
Issue-Focused Evaluations
- The Issue-Focused Evaluation is a process of assessing a limited issue impacting a family and/or a parenting plan. The goal of an Issue-Focused Evaluation is to define and explore the issue causing difficulties for the family, gather information regarding only this issue and to provide a recommendation to the parents and ultimately the Court regarding a resolution to the dispute. This evaluation format is limited in scope, involvement and duration.
Comprehensive Evaluations
- Comprehensive evaluations are in-depth assessments of the family system by the Family Relations Counselor. The information gathered by the counselor, the assessment of the family, and the resulting recommended parenting plan is then shared with the parents and attorneys and used to form the basis of an appropriate parental arrangement. The outcome of the process will either result in an agreed upon parenting or access plan, or a written report as to what is in the best interest of the child, both of which are forwarded to the Court.
Intensive Case Management Service
- JB-Family Services has developed and implemented a statewide alternative dispute resolution program for matters with early indications of conflict-driven motions regarding parenting. The focus of Intensive Case Management is to provide parents with a structured process aimed at developing vital skills to move toward more lasting parenting agreements. This includes learning enhanced communication strategies, building better co-parenting relationships, and resolving parenting concerns together.
Pretrial Settlement Negotiations
- In all Judicial District Court locations, Family Relations Counselors conduct pretrial and final judgment settlement negotiations with attorneys and litigants in conjunction with their pending court matters. Additionally, Family Relations Counselors hold case conferences for Civil Restraining Order petitions.
Temporary Restraining Order - Response to PA 16-105
- JB-Family Services prepares a report for the Court at the time of the Restraining Order hearing. This report includes a summary of the criminal and civil records outlined in PA16-105 as well as the results of a risk assessments utilized by Judicial Branch-Family Services. The report submitted as part of the process is also provided to the applicant and the respondent. The Court has the discretion to consider the information gathered by Family Services when determining the extension of a Restraining Order.
In the Family Criminal Court:
Family Services does intake assessments of individuals arrested for family violence crimes and supervises those individuals before trial. The goal is to enhance victim safety; hold offenders accountable; and prevent, reduce, and stop the frequency and severity of violence against victims. At arraignment, Family Services assesses the defendant’s likelihood of future violence and makes recommendations to the court, including the appropriate level of protective orders. Family Services conducts comprehensive assessments and prepares written reports that identify and summarize each client’s needs. Pre-trial supervision is provided to monitor whether individuals comply with conditions ordered by the court.
CSSD Family Services also has contracts with several organizations that offer programs to defendants that address domestic violence. These include the Family Violence Education Program, Explore and Evolve.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROCESSING FUNCTIONS
Family Violence Arraignment Proceedings
- Family Relations Counselors complete a pre-arraignment family violence screen for all family violence arraignment cases in preparation for a recommendation to the court. This screening process includes, but is not limited to:
- Case Data Record (Defendant demographic and psycho-social information).
- Criminal history investigation.
- Handgun permit, firearm and ammunition screening.
- Risk Assessment Screening: (DVSI-R2) & Supplemental Risk Indicator (SRI).
- Alert Notification/GPS Program (Bridgeport, Hartford, and Danielson).
- Victim interview/input.
- Case coordination with victim advocate.
- Protective order determination.
- Treatment and/or additional services recommendation.
- Family Services referral recommendation for the Court’s approval.
- AIC Pre-trial case management services.
- Court Imposed Monitoring
Family Violence Risk Assessment Project-Domestic Violence Screening Instrument-Revised (DVSI-R2)
- A DVSI-R risk assessment is completed by a Family Relations Counselor on every family violence offender prior to the defendant’s arraignment. An 18-month recidivism study was recently completed by Dr. Kirk Williams. The purpose of the recidivism project was to further determine/estimate the predictive validity of the DVSI-R and establish the continuum of risk scores for the State of Connecticut. The research revealed that the higher the DVSI-R risk score, the greater probability of family violence recidivism, the potential seriousness of offending, and non-compliance with court orders. A significant finding was that higher DVSI-R total risk scores are associated with higher predicted probability of non-compliance with a pre-trial referral to Family Services. The information and research gathered from this initiative will lead to more informed decision making by the Family Relations Counselor regarding the necessary level of protective order and intensity of intervention at arraignment, and at various stages of the court process. In 2023, Family Services will be utilizing a newly modified DVSI-R2. This new instrument removed potential bias from the tool and sought to streamline some of the questions as well as include others based on national risk assessment best practices.
Lethality/Supplemental Risk Indicator Project
- The Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division-Family Services has been collaborating with two leaders in the field of risk assessment to expand and further refine the assessment of risk to estimate the potential for life threatening intimate partner violence. The introduction of Supplemental Risk Indicators (SRI) was developed after working with Dr. Kirk Williams and Dr. Jacqueline Campbell. Dr. Campbell has done extensive research and is the foremost expert in determining dangerousness in domestic violence situations. Five specific questions have been formulated and drawn from the Danger Assessment developed by Dr. Campbell that have the highest predictability of identifying those domestic violence situations that are at greatest risk of potentially escalating to intense violence. This information will be incorporated into the Family Services Arraignment Assessment Report and recommendations, alerting the Court to the potential danger within a case.
Family Violence Case Assessments
- Family Relations Counselors complete a family violence case assessment for all cases that are referred to CSSD Family Services subsequent to the domestic violence arraignment screening process. Case assessments include, but are not limited to:
- In-depth victim interview.
- In-depth defendant interview.
- Coordination with court-based victim advocates.
- Preparation of a detailed case assessment for the Court’s review.
Pre-Trial Case Management Services (Diversionary Program Administration)
- Family Relations Counselors administer diversionary programs and provide administrative monitoring and supervision for court-ordered cases. CSSD Domestic Violence diversionary programs include:
Domestic Violence Sanction Programs
- Family Violence Educational Programs (FVEP): The FVEP is a pretrial diversionary offender program that can be granted by the Court upon application by the defendant. Clients attend nine, one- and one-half hour sessions of a psycho-educational model aimed at reducing re-offense. Clients that complete this program may be eligible for a dismissal. Groups are offered by community-based contractors statewide for male, female and Spanish speaking clients.
- The Explore Program: A 26 session, group-based program for men convicted of domestic violence offenses against female intimate partners. Each male offender is required to attend one 1.5-hour class/group each week for 26 weeks. Currently available in all GA locations.
- The EVOLVE Program: A 26 or 52 session, intensive psycho-educational peer confrontational behavior modification group for male offenders convicted of domestic violence offenses against female intimate partners currently available in Bridgeport, New Haven, New London, Norwich and Waterbury.
Alert Notification/GPS Program
- This initiative serves to introduce Alert Notification/GPS monitoring of domestic violence offenders who are charged in adult criminal court with violating a restraining or protective order and who have been determined through a comprehensive intake process (including a validated risk assessment) to present a high level of risk. The Alert Notification process provides automated alerts (with 24/7 live monitoring center staff involvement) to the victim and local law enforcement should a violation be detected. Violations include, but are not limited to, stationary exclusion zones, mobile exclusion zones, buffer zones, and device tampering. If there is a zone violation, the victim is alerted by cell phone and the local police are notified via the monitoring center. This increases victim safety by providing notification that the high-risk offender is near so a pre-determined safety plan can be put into action immediately pending law enforcement response. This project increases offender accountability as violations will be addressed through the court process by way of increased sanctions. The program is currently available in Bridgeport, Danielson and Hartford GA locations.