The program sends divorcing parents to the mandatory Families First class, which emphasizes the stress children experience in divorce. What parents learn about their own priorities often reduces attorney involvement in the custody process. At the very least, said Rhorer, parents gain a better sense of managing their attorneys during divorce proceedings. The program also requires divorcing couples to enroll their children, ages 6 to 17, in Sandcastles, a program that helps children involved in a divorce realize that they are not alone. Children are encouraged, within interactive groups monitored by facilitators, to develop skills for coping and for communicating with their parents about the divorce.
First classes are team-taught by volunteer lawyers, mediators and therapists.
If parents can't reach a parenting agreement in this class, mediation is their next option. Counselors working with the children involved can act as advocates for the children's needs without worrying about being called to testify. In March 1995 a custody assessment team program was organized in La Crosse County to settle cases left unresolved despite mediation efforts. These three-person teams, which include a guardian ad litem, a custody evaluator and a child development specialist, evaluate families before recommending a parenting plan. No divorce is granted until a parenting agreement is signed by both parents and filed with the court.