The Ohio Supreme Court today announced the availability of a guide for domestic relations and juvenile courts that sorts out custody and visitation issues involving domestic violence.

October is domestic violence awareness month.

The guide seeks to help courts craft parenting time orders that maximize family safety yet appropriately consider potentially dangerous risk factors. It also explains the child’s best interest factors contained in state law.

The guide cautions courts about its limitations.

“This Guide is not exhaustive or designed to be a substitute for the court’s discretion in determining the credibility of the allegations and weight of each [best interest] factor,” according to the introduction. The guide points to how important it is for courts to consider the “nature, frequency, and severity of the violence” in determining custody and visitation issues.

The Supreme Court’s Domestic Violence Program prepared the guide in collaboration with its Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence, the Center for Court Innovation, and the Battered Women’s Justice Project.

Judges, magistrates, court administrators, and court personnel working in domestic relations and juvenile courts will receive copies at upcoming courses hosted by the Court.

PDF files may be viewed, printed, and searched using the free Acrobat^® Reader
Acrobat Reader is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.