Family Services 

Going through a divorce can often be very stressful, particularly for children. To make the process more family friendly, and to provide maximum protection for children, the Court has created a Family Services Department staffed by a Mental Health Professional who is also a Certified Mediator, a Domestic Violence Specialist, and a Secretary.

Director Luis Arroyo, L.P.C.,
Aracelis Pagan & Ruth White

The Department's primary functions are in the following areas:

Mediation & Settlement Conferences: To facilitate and coordinate Mediations, a process in which the parents are empowered to settle their own parenting disputes with a trained and certified third party facilitator. Because of the great success of this program in settling nearly 60% of cases referred, the Court has made Mediation mandatory for most parenting time disputes. For more information about Mediation & Settlement Conferences, click here.

Parenting assessments, guardian ad litems, and expert evaluations: To provide Parenting Assessments to the Court, coordinate the appointment of Guardian ad Litems and Independent Mental Health Professionals, schedule alcohol and drug assessments, and secure school records to assist the Court in making parenting determinations when Mediation is unwarranted or proves unsuccessful.

Counseling: To provide Counseling, or make referrals to outside Counselors, where family relations have become strained.

Hope House Visitation Center: To Implement and monitor referrals to the Hope House Visitation Center, an independent agency that the Court co-founded to provide, if necessary, supervised visitation services in a home-like setting and to provide a site for the neutral and safe exchange of children. For more information and details about Hope House, click here.

Parents' Workshop: To schedule the Court's mandatory parents' workshop for divorcing parents entitled "Help for Children in Divided Families: A Workshop for Parents." For more details about scheduling and attending the Court's Parents Workshop, click here.

Children's Workshop: To present the Court's voluntary Children's Workshop entitled "For Our Children." For more information about scheduling the Children's Workshop, click here.

Domestic Violence: To provide counseling and support to victims of Domestic Violence. For more information about Domestic Violence, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions: For Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about parenting related issues, click here.

Parenting Time Schedules and Forms: To view or obtain copies of the Court's Local and Long Distance Parenting Time Schedules and forms, click on the following:

Local Parenting Time Schedule
Long Distance Parenting Time Schedule
Transitional Parenting Time Schedule
Notice of Intent to Relocate Local
Notice of Intent to Relocate Long Distance