Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts

CFCC WORKS TO ENSURE THAT THE FAMILY JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THE PRACTICE OF FAMILY LAW IMPROVE THE LIVES OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AND THE HEALTH OF COMMUNITIES.

CFCC aims to improve the practice of family law and to reform the family justice system in ways that better serve the complex needs of today's families, children and communities. Two theoretical paradigms undergird all of our work:

Therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) is a legal concept that has become an interdisciplinary field of philosophy and practice. TJ recognizes the power of the law and the behavior of legal actors to produce positive (helpful) or negative (harmful) consequences. In family law matters, these outcomes affect the well-being of families and children involved with the justice system.
The ecology of human development is a social science systems perspective that emphasizes a holistic approach to understand and resolve families’ and children’s problems.

We are strong advocates for the creation and implementation of unified family courts, a court structure that has comprehensive subject-matter jurisdiction over all family law matters. The model unified family court equips the justice system to approach the full range of the problems that bring families into court, including legal and related nonlegal issues.

WHAT WE DO

We educate new and experienced attorneys

We prepare attorneys to address the complex issues of family law cases from a therapeutic, holistic perspective. Our CFCC Student Fellows Program immerses UB law students in this problem-solving approach to family law. Our cutting-edge online Post-J.D. Certificate in Family Law prepares attorneys seeking to focus on family law or add it to their practice.

We advocate for family justice system reform

We work nationwide to develop unified family courts (UFC) and advocate for problem-solving courts. Our goal is to ensure that the family justice system helps, not harms, families, children and communities.

We consult with courts and jurisdictions

We work with courts and jurisdictions nationally and internationally to improve the delivery of legal, social, judicial, administrative and other services within the family justice system. We work with jurisdictions to evaluate and recommend reforms to a jurisdiction's family justice system.

We provide resources and trainings for professional development

Our training programs and tools provide judges, attorneys, court professionals and services providers with resources to increase their understanding of the overwhelming problems that so often bring families and children to court.

We engage the community and interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline

Our Truancy Court Program directly improves the lives of students, families and schools. Our annual Urban Child Symposium brings together professionals across a wide range of disciplines to address issues affecting the well-being of children nationwide.