Family Court to set up a mediation system

Disputing family members should think twice before seeking judicial intervention. Taking family disputes to the court, aside from being costly, can create embarrassment and bitterness.

Disputes can be resolved through out-of-court mediation, and this is the system which the local Family Court Division is planning to establish.

“The mediation program is designed to provide court assistance on family matters; to help family members resolve their own disputes and negotiate an agreement which balances the interest of family members,” said Mary Gutierrez, manager of the Family Court Division.

Gutierrez said the mediation program, once established, is expected to unclog the dockets of the Family Court, which handles divorce cases, child custody, child support and paternity claims among others.

“We can expect at least a five percent reduction in cases during the initial implementation of the program, but once the community gets used to this program, the court would start seeing less court cases,” Gutierrez said.

The process of establishing the mediation program began with the training of 19 volunteers, who attended the basic family mediation seminar conducted by the Family Court Division at the Pacific Gardenia Hotel last Friday.

“The 19 participants will be the backbone of the program. One of our goals is to train them in becoming court mediators. It is prudent for them to know their role,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez stressed that the “mediators will be there to facilitate the process and not do provide counseling.”

Under the mediation system, Gutierrez added, it is the disputing parties who will make the decisions for themselves, and negotiate an agreement.

The volunteers will be called back in October for the second phase of the training, which involves the development of a workable plan and procedure relating to the program.

This plan will later be presented to Family Court Judge Virginia Sablan-Orneheim.

The Family Court Division, which is housed at the Guma Husticia, has designated a mediation room for family cases.

Since most of the participants are school administrators and teachers, Gutierrez said the Family Court expects them to incorporate what they have learned in their school programs.

She said the Department of Education in Guam has included a mediation program in the public school curriculum to teach students how to mediate among their quarreling classmates.

“Right now, our concern is family matters. We will expand the program to include other issues once it is established,” Gutierrez said.