Dec. 29, 1999
The Utah legal system is moving closer to keeping track of kids during a divorce.
Children whose parents are divorcing are often forgotten and many end up in the juvenile court system, but as today's Family Now report explains, help is on the way.
Right now, district court handles divorce and custody matters.
And juvenile court deals with the crimes of children, such as delinquency.
Advocates say children of divorcing parents are getting lost in between.
Mary Boudreau/Utah Children: "IF YOU HAVE WHAT IS CALLED A MULTI-PROBLEM FAMILY, A FAMILY WITH A CASE THAT OVER IN THE JUVENILE E COURT, FOR INSTANCE, AN ABUSE AND NEGLECT CASE, AND OVER ON THE DOMESTIC COURT SIDE, IT MAY HAVE A DIVORCE PENDING, OR YOU MAY HAVE A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASE PENDING."
But since the two computer systems aren't linked, judges have no way of knowing what is going on in the other courtroom.
The Utah Judicial Council once considered creating a separate court for family matters.
But they have now opted for creating a committee that will investigate issues affecting the family.
Tim Shea/Administrative Office of the Courts: "IF WE CAN EDUCATE PARENTS IN THE DIVORCE PROCESS, EDUCATE CHILDREN IN THEIR RIGHTS AND THE DIVORCE PROCESS, ALL OF THOSE WILL HELP IMPROVE THE SITUATION FOR FAMILIES."
Utah Children, a child advocacy group, favored a family court,
but approves of the creation of the family-friendly committee because it doesn't require legislative approval and can be put in place quickly.
The council has already made some recommendations, including:
- Mediating divorce cases
- Combining the compter system of district and juvenile courts
- Appointing a guardian ad litem to represent children in disputed custody cases
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