Courts selected for family case management initiative

NCSC has selected 12 courts to participate in the Right Services, Right Time: Promising Practices for Family Courts initiative, a new effort to help family courts manage cases more effectively, reduce conflict, and improve outcomes for children and families.

Family court dockets have large numbers of self-represented litigants, ranging from 80-90%, and also involve high-conflict litigation. These challenges contribute to significant delays, strained court operations, and negative impacts on children. Funded by the State Justice Institute, this project equips courts with innovative, data-supported training, tools, triage, and tracking designed to streamline case management from intake to resolution — without requiring major system changes.

Transforming case management

The initiative provides courts with practical, evidence-based tools, including:

• Families in Transition (FIT) parenting course: A research-backed parenting course with judicially supported training for managing high-conflict cases.
• Family court services portal: A customizable intake and triage tool aligned with local processes.
• Family court dashboards: A visual tool that tracks timelines, highlights red flags, and supports data-driven resource requests.

Participating Courts

The following courts were selected to participate in the project by using one or all three tools.

Implementing Families in Transition only:

• Maine Judicial Branch
• Minnesota – 2nd Judicial District
• Arizona Supreme Court
• Kansas – 18th Judicial District
• Kansas – 9th Judicial District
• Texas – 246th Family District Court

Piloting all three tools:

• Kansas – 10th Judicial District
• Tennessee – Circuit Court for the 18th Judicial District
• Florida – 2nd Judicial Circuit
• Louisiana – 24th Judicial District Court for Parish of Jefferson
• Ohio – Delaware County Court of Common Pleas
• Ohio – Medina County Domestic Relations Court

Building a national infrastructure for innovation

Over the next 12 months, participating courts will receive hands-on implementation support, peer learning opportunities, and data coaching from NCSC experts. The project will focus on scaling proven solutions, implementing and testing the triage framework, and leveraging performance dashboards to track cases needing attention.

Through this multi-faceted approach, NCSC aims to strengthen the national infrastructure for family court innovation — by connecting local efforts to a broader ecosystem of proven, adaptable solutions that advance family-centered justice.

For more information about the Right Services, Right Time initiative, contact Alicia Davis.