This audit of the family court systems in the Marin County and Sacramento County superior courts looked at the courts' records from April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2010. The courts provide child custody and visitation mediation services. The audit found that neither court could prove that all of its staff mediators for these programs met the courts' training and education requirements. In addition, the Sacramento court could not provide evidence that the private mediators receiving case referrals met the requirements, either. The audit also found that neither court kept records of complaints about private mediators during the audit period. The Bureau recommended that the courts take steps to collect missing records for its mediators, develop a policy for retaining records for mediators, and follow the established processes for processing and recording complaints.
California State Auditor Report 2009-109: Sacramento and Marin County Courts
California State Auditor. Jan. 11, 2001http://www.bsa.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2009-109.pdf