Indianapolis – Eight Indiana counties have been chosen to receive Family Court Grants from the Indiana Supreme Court’s Division of State Court Administration.

The Indiana Supreme Court’s Family Court Project emphasizes a coordinated, holistic approach to addressing the needs of families with multiple court cases. Family courts coordinate cases and stress common-sense, non-adversarial problem solving.

Those receiving the grants are:

• Allen County - $14,000
• Lake County - $11,000
• LaPorte County - $8,000
• Owen County - $2,000
• Putnam County - $2,000
• St. Joseph County - $19,000
• Tippecanoe - $9,000
• Vigo County - $9,000

“The goal of family courts is to develop comprehensive, long-lasting solutions for families by coordinating the efforts of everyone involved. It benefits families and it benefits the judicial system,” said Indiana Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard.

These grants are considered “seed money” and courts are expected to be self funding within a reasonable amount of time.

The Indiana Family Court Project began in 1999 as a cooperative effort between the General Assembly and the Indiana Supreme Court. There are currently 23 Indiana counties with family courts that have received more the $1 million in grant funds since the program began.

The core component of the Family Court Project is coordination of multiple cases involving the same family. This avoids inconsistent orders and promotes more informed decision making. Options for coordination include:

• One Judge - One Family
• Information Sharing between Multiple Courts
• Facilitation and pre-trial conferences
• Affordable Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Family-focused service, assessment, or referral for high-risk families
• Expeditious and efficient processing of pro se cases