This report evaluates the Unified Family Court (UFC) in three pilot sites in Washington: King County, Snohomish County and Thurston County. Using both qualitative and quantitative analysis, the evaluation concludes that UFC "leads to a reduction of redundant and/or conflicting judicial orders...has a positive effect on compliance orders...[and exhibits] no evidence of increased reliance on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods under UFC" (p. 1). Policy recommendations include developing a clear definition of UFC, implementing cross-training in juvenile and family law for judicial officers as well as UFC training for attorneys, among other recommendations. The evaluation identifies strengths and weaknesses in the UFC model, outlines UFC objectives and describes UFC history and programs in Washington and in each of the three pilot sites. In relation to ADR, a practitioner survey concluded that in Thurston County, 54 percent of respondents rated UFC as 'better' than ADR, but that 60 percent of all other respondents rated the two as 'no different.'
An Evaluation of Unified Family Court Pilot Sites in Washington State
Washington State Center for Court Research. Dec. 1, 2004http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/content/pdf/UFCFinalReport.pdf