June 15, 2003

Saving Dreams

FAMILY COURT JUDGE FINDS A CREATIVE WAY TO HELP FAMILIES IN CRISIS

San Jose Mercury News Editorial

This Father's Day, like every day, thousands of families in our community are in crisis. More than 2,500 of them wind up in Santa Clara County Family Court each year, seeking divorce or child custody arrangements.

Where once the court's mission was merely to divide families, today enlightened judges try to assure that fathers and mothers survive their breakup and continue to provide the love and care their children need. An innovative program getting under way in Santa Clara County will help reach that goal. It's an example other courts should follow.

Most people in family court have never been in a court before. Nine out of 10 have no attorneys. Many are poor. More than one-third don't speak English. All are angry, confused, depressed or simply stressed out.

When Judge Dolores Carr arrived in family court two years ago, she listened to stories of broken trust, lost dreams, violent arguments, and money problems. She saw parents with drug problems, depression and no money for treatment. She saw children whose parents were too overwhelmed to tend to their needs. She said to herself: ``What I need here is a social worker.''

Carr is now supervising judge in family court. Thanks to her perseverance and a $2.5 million grant from First 5 Santa Clara County, she will have her social workers. And her court will be able to pay for services, from counseling to drug treatment, that parents and children need to get through the crisis and on with their lives.

For years, family court has been overlooked. When it comes to resources, “we're at the bottom of the barrel,” Carr said. Every criminal has a legal right to an attorney and an interpreter. Parents in dependency court whose children have been taken away get attorneys and whatever services they need to help them get their children back.

People in family court, for divorce or custody issues, aren't entitled to attorneys or other help. If a judge requires a parent to take anger management classes in order to see the kids, the parent has to foot the bill. Those who can't afford to pay may lose contact with their children, which hurts the kids in the long run.

Carr was frustrated by the lack of resources. Then she learned about First 5, which handles the county's Proposition 10 tobacco tax money. This year First 5 will hand out $21 million in grants for education, health, child care and other programs for children.

The catch is that Proposition 10 money can only be used for children under age 6. About half of the families in family court have at least one child that age. Many of those children, she knew, could wind up in dependency court if their parents didn't get help. So she approached First 5. While she'd like to have found a way to provide services for older children, this was a start.

Karen Blinstrub, executive director of First 5, loved the idea. Not only would the program provide case managers and services in the court, but the case managers would also be able to hook families up with other services First 5 provides, including job training, bus vouchers, and health assessments for kids.

At a time when social service programs for families are being slashed across the state, it's good to know that help will be available for folks in time of crisis. And it's good to know that judges like Dolores Carr are finding creative ways to provide that help.

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