Child Protection Mediation Program
Child Protection Mediation assists families, social service workers, and courts find the best options for children in foster or kinship care, including making timely decisions about permanent placement. This is accomplished by:
- Working with parties, especially parents, to create agreements which may improve case plan compliance.
- Addressing communication and other issues that may be barriers to progress for families.
- Establishing a permanent placement with other caregivers.
- Moving toward voluntary termination of parental rights with some continued contact with child(ren).
- Addressing parental, grandparent, or sibling visitation.
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Who is involved in the mediation process? |
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Anyone who is interested in the child’s welfare should be involved in the mediation session including parents, foster parents, attorneys, Guardians ad Litem, Social workers, Cabinet attorneys, CASA volunteers, and others, such as an on-going therapist. The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) provides trained and experienced mediators to facilitate the process.
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How and when is a case referred? |
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Mediation may be referred during any part of the Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse court process. Most cases are court ordered. If you believe a specific case might benefit from mediation, you are encouraged to suggest it to your judge.
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Who pays for the mediation? |
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In the past, AOC was able to provide this service free of charge with federal funds from the Court Improvement Project and the Children’s Justice Act. Because additional funding has not been secured for this program these services are not available on a routine basis. However, Judges may make a special request for this type of mediation through the Court Annexed Mediation Program.
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What counties are involved? |
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Child Protection mediation has been a part of Jefferson County Courts for several years. The Child Protection Mediation Program was originally implemented as a pilot in the Harrison/Pendleton/Robertson/Nicholas family court in April 2004. Prior to a loss of funding the program operated in Fayette, Franklin, Pulaski/Lincoln/Rockcastle, Campbell, Barren/Metcalf, Hardin, Boyle/Mercer, and Clark/Madison counties.
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