Divorce Orientation and Education for Parents
Divorce Orientation and Education for Parents Program
Under the Direction of:
Administrative Office of the Courts
450 South State Street
P.O. Box 140241
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-0241
801-578-3800 (Main Switchboard)
801-238-7181 (Divorce Orientation and Education for Parents Coordinator)
What it Is
Both classes are required ONLY for all parents or legal guardians of children under the age of 18 who file for divorce in the state of Utah. (U.C.A. § 30-3-11.3)
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Classes are available throughout the state of Utah. Calendars with dates and times for classes are available in .pdf format below.
Divorce Orientation and Education for Parents Classes:
As of January 2009, Utah County New Location -
PDF
Course Fees
- Divorce Orientation: $20.00 per person
- Divorce Education: $35.00 per person
Registration
Pre-registration is not required. No one will be turned away from the classes. Please do not bring children. Friends and family members (who are at least 16 years old) are welcome to attend free of charge. Please bring your civil filing number with you to the classes.
NOTE: You do not need a civil filing number for the Divorce Orientation Class. It is designed to be taken by parents of minor children in the event that you are considering a separation, want information about the stages of relationships, information about community resources for relationship help, information about alternatives to divorce, or information about the various effects of divorce.
If you have questions about the class, call the court clerk in your county district court. Phone numbers are available on the Court's website at: www.utcourts.gov/directory
LATE ARRIVALS WILL NOT BE ADMITTED.
Parking
For most locations throughout the state, ample parking is available at no cost. For the Salt Lake City classes, street parking is available. For evening classes, enter the courthouse thorugh the East entrance. For Saturday morning classes, enter the courthouse through the West entrance. All other classes can enter either entrance.
Restrictions
PLEASE DO NOT BRING CHILDREN. Friends and family members who are at least 16 years of age are welcome to attend free of charge to any of the Divorce Orientation and Education classes. If a class is held in a courthouse, please be aware that court facilities are "secure facilities." You will have to pass through security to enter the building. Please do not bring anything with you that would cause you to be denied entrance. Intoxicated or disruptive persons will not be allowed into the classes.
If you live in an area where an on-site class is not available within sixty miles, you may satisfy the divorce orientation and education requirements by viewing a recording of each class. The cost for viewing the recording is the same as the cost for the classes. In addition, recording viewings are available in the district court locations in your county. Please contact the court clerk in those counties to make arrangements to see the video.
If you live in a county where an on-site class is available, you must satisfy the divorce education requirement by going to the class. Recordings will not be available in those counties. Exceptions to this policy are made only for rare occasions such as moving out-of-state, incarceration, or employment that takes you out-of-state for long periods of time, etc.
If you live out-of-state, you can satisfy the divorce orientation and divorce education requirements by ordering DVD's of each class. The cost is $20.00 for the divorce orientation DVD and $35 for the divorce education DVD. Send a check or money order made out to the Administrative Office of the Courts, c/o Gerri Bishop, Divorce Education Program Assistant, P.O. Box 140241, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-0241 to order the DVD's. A video tape of the Divorce Education Class only is available in Spanish ($35) for those parents who do not speak English. Contact Gerri Bishop at 801-238-7181 to order.
Divorce Education for Parents Class Goals
- Give parents information which will help them support their children's emotional well-being both during the divorce process and later as a divorced family.
- Create a better understanding of how and why conflict between parents creates stress for children whether children are exposed to that conflict in an intact family or in a divorced family. The class will encourage greater effort by both parents to decrease the conflict their children are exposed to.
- Encourage parents to cooperate with each other in co-parenting their children if possible. If that is not possible, then parents are encouraged to engage in "parallel parenting."
- Encourage parents to understand that, in most cases, children need continued and meaningful relationships with both parents if it is safe to do so.
Topics Discussed
- How children experience divorce.
- Helping your child adjust to the divorce based on their developmental age and stage. What to expect from your child based on his/her age.
- Helpful ways to communicate with your child about the divorce. What they need to know and what they don't need to know.
- Encouraging and supporting expression of your child's feelings.
- Grieving states common to divorce and loss.
- Correlation between parental conflict and a child's adjustment to the divorce.
- Helpful ways to share parenting responsibilities and encourage cooperative behavior with your child's other parent if that is possible. If not, the concept of "parallel parenting" is encouraged.
- Don't divorce the kids! The importance of fathers in the lives of their children.
- Parental behavior which promotes good self-esteem in children.
- The financial and legal aspects of divorce.
Divorce Orientation for Parents Class Goals
- Educate parents about the divorce process, including the various legal alternatives to resolve differences.
- Educate parents about reasonable alternatives to divorce.
- Educate parents about the long term effects of divorce on family members.
Topics Discussed
- options available as alternatives to divorce;
- resources available from courts and administrative agencies for resolving custody and support issues without filing for divorce;
- resources available to improve or strengthen the marriage;
- a discussion of the positive and negative impacts of divorce;
- a discussion of the process of divorce (this segment will be created at the Administrative Office of the Courts and shown by the Contractor);
- options available for proceeding with a divorce, including mediation, collaborative law, and litigation; and
- a discussion of post-divorce resources.