Citation

Seamone ER. Fam. Court Rev. 2014; 52(3): 458-510.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/fcre.12104

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article considers the results of the first national survey of family court judges, in which they ranked key concerns for cases involving military families. Consistent with estimates recognizing the significant number of service members with operational stress injuries and the link between such unseen injuries and military family turmoil, judges who initially had little experience with military families have encountered increasing numbers of such cases as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan intensified. This article reviews current efforts to establish a standardized curriculum that is responsive to judges' foremost concerns. After describing potential approaches for delivery of this core curriculum, the article suggests three factors that will greatly enhance efforts to meet judges' needs: (1) awareness of key aspects of military culture that have a bearing on family functioning, (2) greater incorporation of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Service Organizations in family court cases involving military families, and (3) identification of best practices in family courts located near military communities which function as de facto centers of excellence. The article draws on selected experiences and opinions of family court judges in North Carolina, Georgia, Hawaii, and Tennessee military communities and suggests key recommendations for meeting all courts' most dire needs. Key Points for the Family Court Community

* In a recent national study, family court judges ranked deployment and postdeployment readjustment considerations among their most important needs for training on military family issues. * Family courts adjudicating disputes involving veterans with operational stress injuries must often transcend existing scientific studies to craft meaningful parenting plans and family interventions. * Courts operating within high-density military populations have developed uncommon solutions to common problems and can provide a wealth of knowledge to family courts that do not regularly hear such cases. * Although family court interactions with veterans service organizations and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are limited or nonexistent--even within large military communities--these organizations possess special knowledge and resources that can enhance the family courts' effectiveness. * Family court judges located within jurisdictions that have operational Veterans Treatment Courts can easily draw on the expertise of veterans court judges to obtain necessary knowledge and vital insights. * Many approaches to military family deployments and combat-related mental conditions equally apply to the tens of thousands of families of private contractors who worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially on security details.

Language: en