4th Domestic Case Management Training: Best Practices for Kansas

Photograph: Judges participate in Case Management Training CLE.On August 19-20, over fifty attorneys, judges, mental health professionals and case managers met at Washburn University School of Law to participate in a two day domestic case management training workshop. Although case management is authorized by Kansas statute, each judicial district has adapted it to fit its needs. There are no uniform guidelines or standards for case managers. This workshop tried to bring together a "Best Practices" case management model that can be carried across jurisdictions. The "Best Practices" model is intended to protect the interests of children, to provide due process protections for parents, and to promote parental cooperation. If implemented, the model can lead to systemic improvements in service delivery to children and families.

Many of the presenters regularly work with high-conflict parents and were able to share their insights and experiences as part of the training event. The workshop provided information about the case management statute, the cases from Kansas and around the country on parent coordination, and the ethical considerations involved. In addition, presenters offered participants practical insights into ways to contain and work with high conflict families. The last program included four judges (pictured left-right) who discussed the use of case management in their judicial districts: the Honorable Jean Schmidt, ’82, Shawnee County; the Honorable Jean Shepherd, Douglas County; the Honorable Kathryn Lynch, ’92, Wyandotte County; and the Honorable Kelly Ryan, ’85, Johnson County.

The workshop was a collaborative effort of Professor Linda Elrod, Director of the Washburn Law Children and Family Law Center; Bud Dale, Law Offices of Bud Dale; and Larry Rute of Associates in Dispute Resolution. In addition to the sponsoring professionals, the following individuals presented sessions for the workshop: