Evaluation of the University of Denver's Center for Separating and Divorcing Families: The First Out‐of‐Court Divorce Option1

Abstract

The Resource Center for Separating and Divorcing Families (RCSDF) is the first U.S. alternative dispute resolution model to provide legal dispute resolution, therapeutic, educational, and financial services to separating and divorcing families in a single location outside the courthouse. Data were collected on 82 families at entry and service completion: service utilization, process timeliness, family satisfaction, and outcomes. Parents were highly satisfied with the process and demonstrated significant improvements in personal well‐being, co‐parenting, parenting quality, and reported reductions in children's anxiety/depression. Community partners felt RCSDF was a positive innovation in their community. The RCSDF model represents a culture shift from an adversarial process to a cohesive alternative that supports the well‐being of all family members.

The Family Resolutions Specialty Court (FRSC): An Evidence‐Informed Court‐Based Innovation

“…The Family Resolutions Specialty Court (FRSC) is highlighted as the most recent and ongoing example of a dispute resolution innovation that is taking hold and remaining sustainable in its community. The FRSC program was based on the research evidence and experiences of the Australian Family Resource Centers (Parkinson, 2011; Schepard & Emery, 2013) and the IAALS‐based Center for Out‐of‐Court Divorce (COCD) program (Cornett et al, 2016; Pruett & Cornett, 2017), as well as an early predecessor, The Collaborative Divorce Project (Pruett et al, 2005). It also relied upon a wealth of clinical experience that provided direction in addition to the empirical basis guiding the program's development.…”

“…An evaluation plan for the COCD relying on multiple data sources was implemented from the outset. Data were collected before, during, and after service delivery (the Campus evaluation is described in Pruett & Cornett, 2017; a full summary of both models can be found at Cornett, 2019; Cornett, Gerety, & Pruett, 2016). In brief, parents who participated in COCD services showed statistically significant decreases in parental depression, anxiety, and stress; levels of interparental acrimony; and increases in co‐parenting decision‐making skills, communication skills, confidence in their ability to co‐parent, and appropriate parental expectations of children.…”

“…This contrasts sharply from the way that parents in prior research described their experience in the adversarial legal system (Pruett & Jackson, 2001). Parents appreciated the speed and efficiency of the process: 5–7.5 months versus the national average of 9.5 months (National Center for State Courts, 2018) and the small amount of their own time spent on their case (2.5 hr) and in the court in front of a judge (less than two hours) (Cornett, 2019; Pruett & Cornett, 2017).…”

Gestión del régimen de visitas, intercambios y comunicación con los hijos e hijas durante la pandemia de la COVID-19

“…Por extensión, si la ruptura de pareja de los progenitores se considera una experiencia adversa de la infancia (Crouch et al, 2020), y un problema de salud pública (Salem, Sandler, & Wolchik, 2013), los resultados aquí encontrados, de forma holística, refuerzan la necesidad de implementar programas que refuercen la competencia parental para gestionar eficazmente las contingencias adversas que se les presentan. La evidencia científica avala de forma sistemática la eficacia de estos programas, tal que deberían formar parte de las políticas públicas (Martínez-Pampliega et al, 2015;Novo et al, 2019;Pruett & Cornett, 2017) Por último, una lectura de los resultados, bajo el prisma del principio de igualdad entre hombres y mujeres, posibilita concluir que, pese a lo que se ha avanzado en igualdad de género en España, todavía nos encontramos que la mujer sigue asumiendo y se le continúa asignando el rol de cuidadora de la prole. No sólo porque son las madres a quienes se le otorga principalmente la custodia (Ajenjo-Cosp & García-Saladrigas, 2016), sino porque en circunstancias de confinamiento como el actual, en la que no se dispone de apoyo externo para cuidar y acompañar a los hijos e hijas (guarderías, actividades extraescolares, personas contratadas, familia extensa, etc.…”

Using the Range of Research Evidence to Help Inform Clinical Decision Making and Treatment for Family Court‐Involved Children and Families

“…The authors found several evidenced‐based, family‐focused mental health programs that serve children and families involved in difficult divorces. Specifically, the Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP) (Pedro‐Carroll, 2005) Out of Court Divorce (Cornett, Gerety, & Pruett, 2016), and the Family Resolutions Specialty Court (Pruett & Cornett, 2017) are all examples of other evidence‐based, family‐focused (i.e., these projects focused on reducing parents' conflict and improving child outcomes across multiple behavioral domains) interventions with family court‐involved children and families that have undergone a notable degree of evaluation and research on particular outcome measures.…”