Marion County Family Court will receive new state-distributed federal funding to support mediation services for cases involving children and families, the Marion Star reported, in an award announced through the Supreme Court of Ohio.
The court is one of eight in Ohio sharing $514,000 in mediation grants distributed by the Supreme Court of Ohio, according to the community announcement reported by the Marion Star. The money comes through the federal Court Improvement Program, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
The funding period runs through September 2027, giving the Marion court a multi-year runway to build or expand mediation capacity rather than a one-time infusion.
Marion County Family Court can use the grant to support mediation in abuse, neglect and dependency cases, school attendance matters, or both, the Marion Star reported. Those are among the most sensitive cases a family court handles, where a mediated agreement can spare children repeated court appearances and help families reach workable arrangements sooner.
The announcement did not specify the amount awarded individually to Marion County Family Court, the Marion Star reported. The seven other courts receiving mediation funding are the Adams County Court of Common Pleas, Champaign County Family Court, the Clark County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division, the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division, the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas Probate and Juvenile Division, the Scioto County Court of Common Pleas Probate and Juvenile Division, and the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas Probate and Juvenile Division.
The mediation grants are part of more than $1 million in federal Court Improvement Program money distributed by the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Children and Families Section for programs aimed at improving court services and outcomes for children and families, according to the Marion Star. The federal program provides funding to states to improve the handling of child abuse and neglect cases.
Other awards in the same distribution include funding for a Court Navigator Pilot and more than $266,000 for technology and operational improvements at 13 Ohio courts. Technical assistance is also being provided for the mediation and Court Navigator programs — Resolution Systems Institute provides assistance for mediation programs with the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Dispute Resolution Section, while the National Center for State Courts provides assistance for Court Navigator grants, the Marion Star reported.
For Marion County families, the practical effect will show up in how cases move: mediation offers a structured setting, guided by a neutral third party, where parents, caregivers and agencies can try to resolve disputes over children’s care and schooling without a contested hearing. The court’s work under the grant runs through September 2027.