It is now well known that adversarial family courts do not offer separating parents the opportunity to learn the communication skills so crucial to their children’s well-being. A focus on the ever-changing needs of the children of divorce is often lost in Connecticut courts.
Massachusetts has been led in a different direction by judicial leaders such as First Justice Linda S. Fidnick, Honorable Gail L. Perlman and Professor Marsha Klein Pruett. The Family Resolutions Specialty Court (FRSC) in Hampshire County, Massachusetts was fully operational starting in 2016. It was developed under the leadership of First Justice Linda S. Fidnick of the Hampshire Probate and Family Court as a response to the need for a more collaborative, child-centered approach to family conflict resolution.
The salient question – and its answer – was posed in 2018 by Honorable Gail L. Perlman: “How does a court—a long-established model of adversarial problem-solving—transform itself in order to do no harm to the parents and children it serves? Enter The Family Resolutions Specialty Court (FRSC). ”
FRSC has expanded its scope over nearly 10 years. This article points to lessons for Connecticut to refocus family court on helping parents learn the skills they need when living separately. We will compare two innovative family justice models: the Family Resolutions Specialty Court (FRSC) in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and the Center for Out-of-Court Divorce (COCD) in Denver, Colorado.
Both programs aim to reduce conflict, center the needs of children, and promote durable outcomes for separating or divorcing families. Too often, Connecticut courts fail on both dimensions as demonstrated by the RH v MH case.
Side by side comparison of two processes and survey of parental satisfaction: Full report with tables and graphs

Research by Marsha Kline Pruett and Jonathan Alschech concludes, in part:
• “Shared parenting is complicated construct. Advances occurring, but still difficult to measure. General agreement that conflict and cooperation substrates are crucial.”
• “Boundary clarity between past and present family units important to well-being”
For a concise account of early FRSC results, go to Prof. Kline Pruett’s January 2023 PowerPoint: https://sharedparentinginc.org/shared-parenting-council-symposium-2023/
Honorable Gail L. Perlman reports comments from parents who have completed the process:
“I now have much more contact with my children than when we began. . . . We have been able to agree on many issues that we did not agree on before.”
“FRSC helped ensure my child was enrolled in a high-quality pre-[kindergarten] program which has transformed our entire family’s quality of life and gave our child a strong foundation at a time when he was most vulnerable to instability.”
“This process was very beneficial to myself as a parent and was minimally stressful. . . . It helped me to learn to never speak poorly of her dad in front of her . . . We fight almost never now and seem to be more understanding towards each other. . . . I would STRONGLY recommend this process to anyone getting divorced who have children. I hope this becomes the standard.”
“I have learned a tremendous amount through the programs associated with FRSC both as a parent and individual. . . . [FRSC] has helped to make me the best father I can possibly be. . . . We still have a long way to go but I am hopeful that in eliminating much of the negativity that typically surrounds divorce, it will allow us to become great co-parents. Truly life changing. I hope this continues and that all divorces with children can be done in this manner.”
Source of Perlman quotes: https://www.wnelawreview.org/post/the-family-resolutions-specialty-court-hampshire-probate-and-family-court-s-new-legal-pathway. She concludes about FRSC: “It would be highly beneficial if the model became the default method of obtaining divorce and post-divorce court services, with the traditional method being reserved only for the few cases for which it may be more appropriate.”