Closing the implementation gap in court‐annexed custody and visitation mediation: A community dispute resolution center case study

Abstract Identify the “implementation gap” in family mediation as the challenge of connecting co‐parents who need alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services with accessible ADR programs. This article presents a case study of a community‐based and court partnership designed to close this gap through the Long Island Dispute Resolution Centers (LIDRC) Custody and Visitation Mediation Program at EAC Network, in collaboration with the Suffolk County Family Court, the New York State Unified Court System, and the Community Dispute Resolution Center (CDRC) Network. The program provides volunteer mediators, both attorneys and non‐attorneys, who adhere to rigorous structured training and apprenticeship requirements set forth by the New York State Unified Court System to deliver no‐cost mediation services to parties in custody and visitation matters. Additional design features of the program include implementing multiple layers of safety screening prior to mediation, providing litigants with early education in advance of mediation, offering mediation to litigants at the earliest stages of the court process, integrating a variety of technologies to enhance accessibility, and locating a wide range of diverse funding sources to ensure cost is not a barrier to participation. Using a case study methodology and examining administrative data through interdisciplinary theoretical lenses, including Dispute System Design, Access to Justice Theory, Child‐Focused Mediation, and Conflict Transformation, this analysis illustrates the day‐to‐day operations and its model of interdisciplinary court–community partnership in designing a community‐level peacebuilding infrastructure for family disputes.