Where do parents turn to when they are unable to focus on their children’s needs due to their own turmoil and legal process? Where can children find people to talk to who know what they are going through?
The answer is Family Court Services.
Background and Description
Therapeutic justice is not new to Miami-Dade County, Florida, the largest judicial circuit in Florida. Family Court Services has been providing unique and crucial services to many children and families for more than 20 years. The Unit assists all judges and general magistrates with some of the Court’s most difficult family cases by providing solution-focused and brief therapeutic interventions.
Family Court Services is staffed with dedicated professionals who are committed to helping families reduce their level of conflict and provide supportive services for the entire family system with particular sensitivity to children.
Services
Family Court Services provides the following services for families at no cost: alienation, child/family assistance, co-parenting, crisis assistance, marital reconciliation, parenting coordination, reunification, time-sharing, supervised visitation, and monitored exchanges. The Unit also assists families by connecting them to community providers for any court-ordered service ordered by the Court.
In-House Services
Alienation: explore and assist with parental alienation.
Child/Family Assistance: assistance with issues immediately affecting the welfare of the children through interviews with family members and children (if needed).
Co-parenting: assessing and assisting in parenting skills, communication, sharing time, and
Crisis Assistance: when the judiciary finds that an issue requires urgent attention such as when imminent danger to a parent or child might exist, immediate and rapid assistance is provided.
Marital Reconciliation: when party(s) wants to separate/divorce, this service is to explore and assist in clarifying motivation and factors involved.
Parenting Coordination: assist parents in creating or facilitating their parenting plan and providing strategies to limit the child’s exposure to the parental conflict.
Reunification: explore and assist with feelings of estrangement experienced by a child toward a parent while attempting to establish or reestablish the relationship.
Time-sharing: addressing the parties’ issues regarding the sharing of their child, assisting parties in the clarification of an existing time-sharing schedule and/or the development of a more meaningful arrangement.
Supervised Visitation/Monitored Exchanges: observation of the interaction between parent/child in a safe, friendly, environment when the physical and/or emotional welfare of a child may be otherwise threatened.
Community Resource Services
Community Referrals: facilitation of referrals to community agencies and/or private providers for services including counseling, extended co-parenting, parenting classes, parenting coordination, psychological/psychiatric evaluation, substance abuse evaluation/treatment, social investigation, therapeutic supervised visits, and DNA testing.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Supervised Visitation Hours
Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact Information
Family Court Services
Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center
175 N.W. 1st Avenue Suite 1503
Miami, Florida 33128
Telephone: (305) 349-5508
Fax: (305) 349-5634