Center for Urban Research and Learning Report Highlights Successes of the Family Court Enhancement Project
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Primary Contact:
Matthew McDermott
mbedugnis@luc.edu
617.778.3346
CHICAGO – July 24, 2024
Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Urban Research and Learning (CURL), in partnership with the Circuit Court of Cook County Domestic Violence Division, has published a research report evaluating the Court’s federally funded Family Court Enhancement Project (FCEP). In 2018, the University received a three-year, $428,838 grant to research and evaluate FCEP’s impact on the court and safety outcomes for litigants seeking Orders of Protection (OP).
Supported by Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women, FCEP was implemented at the Chicago Domestic Violence Court in 2016 as a response to identified gaps in child-related protections within OPs. The model aimed to improve safety outcomes and the sense of procedural justice among litigants accessing orders of protection within a domestic violence court.
FCEP was modeled to reform the civil court system by supporting litigant parents who share children in common by ensuring petitioners/survivors have access to full safety remedies permissible under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act. The funded model implemented:
- specialized trainings for judges, attorneys, advocates, and other stakeholders that addressed child-related issues;
- child-related informational materials provided to petitioners seeking an OP during an improved litigant triage screening process;
- Child-Relief Expediter, a unique role to support parent litigants seeking safe parenting arrangements in their OPs.
CURL’s research, available in both a brief and accessible visual format and full technical report, found clear, successful impacts of FCEP initiatives on the culture of the court and ways in which the system moved to support litigants in receiving safe, fair, and specialized child-related remedies and parenting options. The Child-Relief Expediter, for example, was deemed an invaluable addition by judges, attorneys, advocates, and litigants in over 50 qualitative research interviews. The research overwhelmingly noted the effectiveness of FCEP in uplifting self-represented litigants to request child-related care in their OPs and equipping parents with resources to create safe parenting and visitation plans for their families.
“We’re especially proud to have published this report,” said Christine George, CURL associate director for research. “Our research partnership with Cook County Court has been the latest in an ongoing collaborative partnership with Domestic Violence stakeholders. CURL scholarship not only quantitatively validates the impact of programs like FCEP on the community, but also helps share these findings with the community and other practitioners who can put it to use in making a difference.”
“Conducting this research and composing the FCEP report has been a wonderful experience in inter-disciplinary collaboration,” said Yasmeen Khayr, CURL research coordinator. “Our research team was composed of several faculty members, and graduate, professional, and undergraduate students across multiple schools and departments–particularly the School of Law and School of Social Work.”
Through research and partnerships such as this, CURL strives to create innovative solutions that promote equity and opportunity in communities throughout Chicagoland and beyond. These partnerships connect Loyola faculty and students with regional, national, and international organizations, civic groups, and government agencies to pursue new ideas and approaches that address pressing needs and improve quality of life for all.
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About Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, with nearly 16,600 students. The University has five campuses: four in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, as well as course offerings at the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The University features 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. Ranked a leading national university by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is also among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations including AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation. To learn more about Loyola, visit LUC.edu or follow us on Twitter via @LoyolaChicago.
