FAMILY COURT

FAMILY COURT – CONNECTICUT

The material provided on the 211 eLibrary is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be and should not be construed as legal advice.

The following is summarized from State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, Divisions of Superior Court, and State of Connecticut Judicial Branch Common Legal Terms.

WHAT IS FAMILY COURT?

Family court is formally known as the Family Division of Superior Court, State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. Family Division hears cases involving juveniles and family relationships. Most family cases are heard in judicial district courthouses. Typical cases include:

Divorce
Child custody
Child support
Relief from abuse (temporary restraining orders)
Child abuse and neglect
Termination of parental rights
Juvenile delinquency

Cases involving juveniles are heard in the Juvenile Matters subdivision.

WHAT IS JUVENILE MATTERS?

Juvenile Matters is a special subdivision of Superior Court designed to protect the rights of children, family relationships and confidentiality. There are thirteen Juvenile Courts statewide. All court documents are confidential and court hearings are closed to the public. All juvenile court cases either involve care of the minor child or the child's behavior. Children are those under 16 years old, youth are age 16 up to age 18. Cases in juvenile court include:

termination of parental rights
emancipation of a minor
delinquency (crimes committed by children under age 16)
neglected or uncared for children and youth
families with service needs (FWSN) (a family with a child under age 16 who has bad behavior)

WHAT ARE FAMILY RELATIONS COUNSELORS?

Each judicial district has Family Relations counselors to assist the court in family matters. The Family Relations counselors are trained to resolve custody and visitation disputes, and they also may be involved in helping to resolve financial disputes. The counselors are appointed by the judges of the Superior Court and are empowered to investigate any circumstance of a family matter that may be helpful or material to the disposition of a case.

FAMILY WITH SERVICE NEEDS

See separate Information Library paper titled Family With Service Needs

TO FIND PROVIDERS IN CONNECTICUT'S COMMUNITY RESOURCES DATABASE: