July 2013

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12031
• Published date: 01 July 2013
• Author: Andrew Schepard
• Date: 01 July 2013

EDITORIAL NOTE

JULY 2013

This issue contains articles from projects with which I am personally involved, so I thought it would

be helpful to give readers a sense of what those projects are and why I think theyare impor tant.Thus,

please forgive these somewhatlonger than usual Editorial Notes which I hope readers will nonetheless

find useful.

THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE AMERICAN LEGAL SYSTEM

(IAALS) HONORING FAMILIES INITIATIVE (HFI) WHITE PAPER ON FAMILY

COURTS AND DIVORCING AND SEPARATING FAMILIES

A white paper is an article that states an organization’s position or philosophy about a social, political, or

other subject . . . Typically, a white paper explains the results, conclusions, or construction resulting from

some organized committee or research collaboration . . . In government, a white paper is often a policy or

position paper.1

This issue of Family Court Review (FCR) begins with a White Paper articulating the philosophy

behind an initiative of the IAALS HFI. FCR’s October 2012 issue and Editorial Notes introduced

readers to Rebecca Kourlis, IAALS’s executive director. As noted there, IAALS is “a national,

independent research center at the University of Denver dedicated to continuous improvement of the

process and culture of the civil justice system. By leveraging a unique blend of empirical and legal

research, innovativesolutions, broad-based collaboration, communications and ongoing measurement

in strategically selected, high-impact areas, IAALS aims to empower others with the knowledge,

models and will to advance a more accessible, efficient and accountable civil justice system. IAALS

is especially interested in looking for ways to promote equal access to the law, a particular passion of

Becky’s. Readers can find more information about IAALS at http://iaals.du.edu/about-the-institute/”.2

HFI is one of IAALS’ major initiatives whose goal is to:

“Advance empirically informed models for dignified and fair processes for the resolution of divorce and

child custody cases in a manner that is more accessible and more responsive to children, parents and

families.”

Many Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and FCR stalwarts serve on the

advisory committee for HFI, as its mission is similar in spirit to AFCC’s. I am a consultant to HFI, as

is Marsha Kline Pruett, a member of FCR’s editorial board. For more information about HFI, consult

http://iaals.du.edu/initiatives/honoring-families-initiative/.

HFI’s White Paper is coauthored by Becky, Marsha, HFI’s Executive Director MelindaTaylor, and

me. It has been reviewed by the HFI advisory committee and outside representatives of stakeholder

organizations. Its goal is to articulate the premises behind HFI and begin a dialogue between informed

stakeholders about how family courts can best be organized to provide services to separating and

divorcing families, with a special focus on the appropriate balance between court and community

responsibility for those services. The White Paper summarizes the challenges that separating and

FAMILY COURT REVIEW,Vol. 51 No. 3, July 2013 345–349

© 2013 Association of Familyand Conciliation Cour ts