Friend of the Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Training and Qualification Requirements

 By Timothy Cole, Friend of the Court Bureau Management Analyst

MCR 3.224 requires the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) to establish training and qualifications requirements for friend of the court (FOC) alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers.  MCR 3.224 outlines three basic FOC ADR services - 1) FOC domestic relations mediation, 2) facilitative and information-gathering conferences (FIGCs), and 3) joint meetings.  This article will provide SCAO training and qualifications, information on Circuit Courts requesting a waiver for training and qualifications, and information on training opportunities.

Education requirements

The education requirements to provide FOC domestic relations mediation and FIGC is a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, education, or a related field, or a juris doctorate.  For joint meetings the education requirements are a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, education, or a related field, or an associate degree and two years of experience working with families.

SCAO Management Assistant Shares Tips from Past Personal, Professional Experiences

By Lisa Harris, Management Assistant, Friend of the Court Bureau

I became a child of a domestic relations case in 1979. I never really grew up feeling disadvantaged for being a child of divorce (granted, I never knew anything else). I was lucky enough to have two parents willing to work together to make my situation positive. Whenever I was asked about being from a divorced home, I would share how awesome it was to have two homes, extra parents, extra grandparents, extra siblings, double holidays, twice as many gifts, and there was ALWAYS someone at one of my sporting events! 

Unfortunately, this isn’t the experience for all children and families. Friend of the Court (FOC) staff often see families arguing, sometimes at each other’s throats, vengeful, angry, hurt, and often loud. We rarely get to see the families who were able to reach an agreement on their own or who are getting along well.  Even if parents are cooperating, it may take years (if ever) to get to a good place in co-parenting.

MJI and FOCB Provide Statewide ADR Training

 By Lindsay Poetz and Timothy Cole, Management Analysts, Friend of the Court Bureau

Michigan Court Rule 3.224, become effective January 1, 2020, and required all courts to have a Friend of the Court (FOC) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) plan approved by the State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) and the Chief Judge. The plans must include FOC domestic relations mediation. Courts had the option to include other FOC ADR services in their plans such as facilitative and Information Gathering Conferences (FIGCs) and joint meetings. MCR 3.224 also required SCAO to establish ADR training qualifications for FOC employees.

Using Technology to Conduct “FIG” Conferences: Adjusting Course in a COVID-19 World

By Tracey M. Bankhead, Muskegon County Family Court Counselor

The child support world has always been a world of changes – changes in policies and changes in processes, but never so much and in such a short span of time as it has been with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

New Procedures for Friend of the Court Alternative Dispute Resolution

By Timothy Cole, Management Analyst, Friend of the Court Bureau

Last year the Michigan Supreme Court approved a Friend of the Court Alternative Dispute Resolution court rule (MCR 3.224) which took effect on January 1, 2020.  The court rule outlines procedures courts must follow – some new – when conducting friend of the court (FOC) alternative dispute resolution (ADR).