Pathways approaches have been applied in civil and family cases with demonstrated effectiveness. The Cady Initiative for Family
Justice Reform recommends that courts “aggressively triage cases at the earliest opportunity” to determine which “pathway” is most likely to provide the services and case management that a family needs to resolve their case. This approach has been endorsed by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, the highest authorities in state court leadership.
At the working session of the Cady Collaborative held April 15, 2021, participants discussed how courts have applied criteria for determining party needs and pathways, reflected on innovations in automation, considered minimum requirements for automating triage of family cases. The meeting produced a resource, below.
Access the Considerations for Automating Triage of Family Cases resource.
The Pathways through the Pandemic: An Application of Family Justice Pathways in Three Courts article, profiles three courts that have succeeded in providing responsive, adaptive services to families in the middle of the pandemic by implementing Pathways approaches. The leaders in these courts have even leveraged opportunities occasioned by the disruption. Connecticut reformed a motions calendar that parties had previously criticized. Marion County, Indiana unified a court and streamlined processes while they planned a move into a new facility. Making decisive use of available funding, Johnson County, Kansas blazed the way into automation of triage to put family filings on Pathways and piloted a protection order portal. Read the entire article at the link, below.
NCSC Trends in State Courts-Pathways through the Pandemic: An Application of Family Justice Pathways in Three Courts.
- CCJ/COSCA Family Justice Initiative Virtual Triage, Pathways, and COVID-19
- Civil Justice Improvements Committee. Call to Action: Achieving Civil Justice for All. National Center for State Courts.
- NCSC (2018). Executive Summary, Colorado Domestic Relations Triage Pilot.
- Clarke, T. (2017). Triage Protocols for Divorce and Child Custody Cases. National Center for State Courts.
- Marz, S. (2019). Faster and as Satisfying: An Evaluation of Alaska's Early Resolution Triage Program. Family Court Review, Vol. 57 No. 4, October 2019 478-490
- Howe, W. and Hall, J. (2017). Oregon's Informal Domestic Relations Trial: A New Tool to Efficiently and Fairly Manage Family Court Trials. Family Court Review, 55(1), pp.70-83.
- National Center for State Courts (2018). Colorado State Court Administrator's Office Domestic Relation's Triage Project. National Center for State Courts, pp.1-32.