Telling the McLean County Circuit Clerk of your New Address

Written notice of address changes and name changes must be provided to the McLean County Circuit Clerk whenever there is a change for either the payor or the recipient. A change of address through the Post Office does not change the address on file with the Circuit Clerk and will only reroute the check temporarily. Please be sure to include your date of birth if you are making the change by mail. A Name/Address change form is available in the Circuit Clerk's office or online at the link at the bottom of this page. 

It is CRITICAL that address changes be promptly reported if payments are issued from the State Disbursement Unit (SDU). Only the Circuit Clerk's office can report this change electronically to the SDU. 

If you are concerned about a late payment and your payment comes from the SDU, you may contact them at1-877-225-7077. We suggest you contact the Clerk's office BEFORE contacting the SDU. The McLean County Circuit Clerk can frequently assist you in a more efficient manner and are certainly willing to help you solve any problems you might be experiencing. Please understand that they do not play a managing role in the operation of the SDU. A written affidavit is required by the SDU to stop payment on SDU checks. 

NAME AND ADDRESS CHANGE FORM

--
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206 

Navigating Juvenile Court in Bloomington Illinois

By 

Bridget L. Schott

In the aftermath of the recession or perhaps just as a way expand ones business, it is likely that many attorneys find themselves taking on cases and clients in areas of law they may previously have been unfamiliar. Juvenile Law, and specifically as it pertains to Abuse and Neglect cases, is often one of those areas. Unfortunately, it can be an area that is quite overwhelming and unique, but in order to vigorously work for your client, there are many tools of the trade one should know. Having a working understanding of this area of law will allow you to hold the Department of Children and Family Services more accountable to your client as well as give your client the best possible chances for returning their child home.

The Juvenile Court Act of 1967 controls and provides the guidelines for the abuse/neglect cases. If your potential client comes to you after protective custody of their child has been taken by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), then there a few things you can expect to have happened which led to that decision, and you will want to be able to explain these to your client. The severity of the implications of DCFS involvement should be stressed to your client from the outset, so that they can understand from the beginning that failure to cooperate could have an end result of their parental rights to their child being terminated.

In a typical case, a hotline report has been called into the DCFS hotline by a mandated reporter, which could include a school employee, child care personnel, medical personnel or law enforcement. That reporter is mandated to make a hotline report if they suspect a child has been abused or neglected, and can include situations where they have observed someone beating a child or hitting a child with an object, or they observe marks on a child's body that do not appear to have been caused by an accident, or where a child discloses that they have been harmed, or if a child appears to be undernourished, is dressed inappropriately for the weather or is young and has been left alone. A child having been born exposed to an illegal drug or a parent's drug use also leads to a hotline call.

Upon receipt of the hotline call, the DCFS Central Registry will have contacted a local DCFS Investigator to conduct an investigation into the allegations of the hotline call. The investigator was likely to have met with the parent who the allegations run against, as well as the named children. Hospital or school staff might also be interviewed and the children would be examined to see if there are present signs of abuse. If the investigator determines that the circumstances are severe enough, he or she will take temporary protective custody of the child or children and remove them from the parent's home. If that route is taken, the next step would be a shelter care hearing, and the parent should be advised to stay in contact with the Investigator. Even if the circumstances do not warrant taking protective custody of the child, the investigator may still find that the hotline report should be "indicated" for neglect or abuse and DCFS would offer services to the parent.

If a shelter care hearing is required, the DCFS investigator will have provided the investigation report to the State's Attorney's Office, who will prepare a petition with charges of abuse or neglect, and file it in the Circuit Court of either the county where the neglect happened or where the child resides. When children are taken into temporary protective custody, your client is entitled to (and the Juvenile Court Act requires) a Temporary Custody Hearing being held within 48 hours to determine whether the child shall be further held in custody.(705 ILCS 405/2-9(1) (West 2010) The petitioner (the State) is required to notify the minor's parent or guardian of the time and place of the hearing. If you have spoken to your potential client prior to this hearing occurring and decided to represent the parent, the shelter care, or Temporary Custody Hearing would be the first opportunity to enter one's appearance.

At the Temporary Custody Hearing, parents are served with petitions in the matter and evidence is presented to the court so a probable cause determination can be made. This can be done through a proffer of reports from DCFS and other agencies or through testimony by the DCFS Investigator. It is proper for the Circuit Court to consider previous indicated reports of abuse and neglect through the DCFS central registry which involve the minor's parent, guardian or custodian. 705 ILCS 405/2-10(2) (West 2010) As an advocate for the respondent parent, the most probable opportunity for persuading a court to deny a shelter care request and place the child back with the respondent parent is through highlighting that there exists no immediate or urgent necessity to remove the child or that DCFS has not documented the reasonable efforts that were made to prevent or eliminate the necessity of removal of the minor from the home. An avenue to explore may be why a safety plan was chosen as the desired route instead of protective custody.

You may find that instead of a potential client coming to you the day DCFS takes protective custody of the child, they come to you after the Shelter Care hearing has already taken place. If your client has not attended the hearing and you are within 10 days of the hearing, the Juvenile Court Act allows your client an opportunity for a Rehearing on Temporary Custody, so that they have an opportunity to be heard and understand the reasoning for custody of the children being taken. 705 ILCS 405/2-10(3) (West 2010)

If, despite your best efforts for your client, temporary custody is granted to DCFS, then there are additional requirements that the State and/or DCFS must comply with in the process of advancing toward an adjudicatory hearing. If the Juvenile Court Act requires the State or DCFS to comply with an action or a filing and they fail to do so, then, depending on the infraction, it may be proper and in the best interest of your client to file a motion to dismiss based on that failure, or at least explore a motion to compel the filing. For example, the Juvenile Court Act requires that when DCFS is appointed as the temporary custodian, they "shall file with the court and serve on the parties a parent-child visitation plan, within 10 days, excluding weekends and holidays, after the appointment." 705 ILCS 405/2-10(2) (West 2010) Visitation with the child is such an important thing for your client that you should absolutely insist this statute be adhered to by DCFS. The "shall" in the statute is indicative of the importance placed on it by the legislature. The statute further explains that the frequency, duration and locations of visitation shall be measured by the needs of the child and the family, and not by the convenience of Department personnel.

As counsel for the parent it is your duty to explain to your client that acceptance of services shall not be considered an admission of any of the allegations in the petition. If your client chooses the wise route of engaging in services offered by DCFS to correct conditions that led protective custody to be taken, they should know that the Juvenile Court Act does not allow that information to be used against them at the Adjudicatory hearing. DCFS is obligated to begin offering services at the outset of the case, and establishing the requirements which will be expected out of a parent in order to regain their children, and publishing them in a Client Service Plan. For your client's sake, cooperating in services and following the Client Service Plan would be in their best interest as well, for parents are only entitled to 9 months after the adjudicatory hearing to make progress and efforts toward returning the child home and correcting the conditions that led to the child being taken, before a Termination of Parental Rights petition could be filed. Your client should be encouraged to keep an open line of communication with their caseworker, as this will facilitate the best results toward regaining their child.

The Adjudicatory Hearing is a fancy phrase for the trial on the State's Petition for Wardship based on the abuse or neglect. As all actions under the Juvenile Court Act are civil in nature, the State must prove its case using a preponderance of the evidence standard. Abuse and neglect cases employ some rules of evidence that are quite unique, and many of them can only be found in the caselaw for your specific appellate court district. By statute, there are some areas of juvenile law that constitute prima facie evidence of abuse or neglect, including having a medical diagnosis of battered child syndrome, failure to thrive syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome or has been a victim of any number of sex crimes. 705 ILCS 2-18(2) (West 2010) Medical records are admissible to the court, as well as any indicated report held by DCFS. 705 ILCS 405/2-18(4)(a) and (b) (West 2010) As an example of caselaw driving the rules of evidence, the 4th District has ruled that the entire DCFS investigatory file is not admissible for the Circuit Court to consider in its ruling; only the "indicated report" portion of the investigative file is admissible. In re J.C., 2012 IL App (4th) 110861, 966 N.E.2d 453. The Juvenile Court Act also requires the proceedings to work on a fairly tight schedule. The Adjudicatory hearing must commence within 90 days of the date of service of process on the parties. 705 ILCS 405/2-14(b) (West 2010) The time limit is quite strict, and the adjudicatory hearing can only be continued beyond the 90 day mark one time, for up to 30 days, and only if the continuance is consistent with the health, safety and best interests of the minor and approved by the court. 705 ILCS 405/2-14(c)(West 2010) If the case continues beyond that point, it may be in your client's best interests to file a motion to dismiss, and it could likely be granted.

A finding that the State has proven its counts of abuse or neglect at the Adjudicatory Hearing does not end your responsibility in the case. The Dispositional Hearing is equally as important as the Adjudicatory Hearing as it determines whether it is in the best interest for the child to be made a ward of the court or whether it would be safe to return the child to one of the respondent parents with certain conditions. The hearing allows the Court and attorneys to examine the services which will be provided to the respondent parents, and to make suggestions of additions or deletions as required. If the only barrier for your client regaining their child is one of financial circumstances alone, then you should request custody and guardianship to be returned to your client, as financial circumstances alone do not support an unfitness finding. If custody and/or guardianship of the child is granted to DCFS, Permanency Hearings shall follow the Dispositional Hearing every 6 months to assess the parents progress and efforts toward returning the child home. DCFS is also under requirements to the Court to put forth reasonable efforts in providing parents the services they need to regain their child. If your client is not receiving the services they need, you should consider requesting that DCFS has not upheld its end of the bargain. Your representation of your client can end one of two ways, at opposite ends of the spectrum. Your client will either have custody and guardianship of their child restored to them, if they have successfully completed all their requirements, or a Termination of Parental Rights petition will be pursued, and your client may lose all rights to their child. The severity of the implications of these proceedings should be stressed to your client at every step of the process.

In conclusion, the area of abuse and neglect law is rich with opportunities for litigation, but is not an undertaking to be taken lightly. The lives of children and the futures of families weigh on the backs of the attorneys involved. Having a working knowledge of the process of juvenile courts is imperative to your success. Taking on a client in a case like this requires dedication to a potentially years-long court process, but the success of your client regaining their children can be quite rewarding.

--
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206 

New Parenting Coordination Rule in Bloomington Illinois Divorces

ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT RULE 120

Effective January 1, 2013.

D. Parenting Coordination in Dissolution and Family Cases (McLean County)

In an effort to provide the citizens of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit with an expeditious and expense saving alternative to traditional litigation in the resolution of high conflict custody and visitation cases, a program of Parenting Coordination is hereby established in McLean County.

1. Appointment - The Court may appoint a parenting coordinator when it finds the following:

a. The parties failed to adequately cooperate and communicate with regard to issues involving their children, or have been unable to implement a parenting plan or parenting schedule;

b. Mediation has not been successful or has been determined by the judge to be inappropriate; or

c. The appointment of a parenting coordinator is in the best interests of the child or children involved in the proceedings.

Notwithstanding the above, the court may appoint a parenting coordinator by agreement of the parties.

2. Qualification - The parenting coordinator shall possess the Minimum Qualifications of Matrimonial and Family Dispute Mediators which have been established by the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.

3. Confidentiality - Communications with the parenting coordinator shall not be confidential, except that upon the agreement of both parties and the parenting coordinator, the court may deem all or any specific part of the communications with the parenting coordinator to be confidential, if such designation appears to be in the best interests of the children.

4. Duties:

a. The parenting coordinator shall educate, mediate, monitor court orders and make recommendations to the court as necessary. In addition, the parenting coordinator may recommend approaches that will reduce conflict between parents and reduce unnecessary stress for the children.

b. The parenting coordinator may monitor parental behaviors and mediate disputes concerning parenting issues and report any allegations of noncompliance to the court, if necessary.

c. The parenting coordinator shall recommend outside resources as needed, such as random drug screens, parenting classes and psychotherapy.

d. The parenting coordinator may recommend detailed guidelines or rules for communication between parents.

e. The parenting coordinator shall maintain communication among all parties by serving, if necessary, as a conduit for information.

f.  The parenting coordinator may meet with the parties, the children, and significant others jointly or separately. The parenting coordinator shall determine if the appointments shall be joint or separate.

g. Each parent should direct any disagreements or concerns regarding the children to the parenting coordinator.

h. The parenting coordinator shall work with both parents to attempt to resolve the conflict and, if necessary, shall recommend an appropriate resolution to the parents.

i.  The parenting coordinator shall not have any decision-making authority which is the sole province of the court.

j.  The parenting coordinator shall not serve as a custody evaluator in any proceeding involving one or more parties for whom the parenting coordinator has provided parenting coordination services.

k. The parenting coordinator shall not be permitted to give a recommendation or opinion concerning the ultimate issue of fact, law, or mixed issue of fact and law as to child custody, primary physical residence, or visitation. Recommendations or opinions on lesser issues, as stated above, may be conveyed by the parenting coordinator to the parents and the court.

l.  No parenting coordinator shall be held liable for civil damages for any act or omission in the scope of the parenting coordinator's employment or function, unless such person acted in bad faith or with malicious purpose, or in a manner exhibiting wanton and willful disregard of the rights, safety or property of another.

5. Expenses of the Parties – Expenses of the Parent Coordinator shall be borne by the parties and shall not be assessed against or paid for by McLean County.

--
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206 

Bloomington Legal Newsletter: McLean County Docket

You can see what court cases are coming up in the next 14 days by visiting the following site: http://www.mcleancountyil.gov/index.aspx?NID=540

--
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206 

Child Support Maintenance Fee Payment in McLean County Child Support Cases

Child Support Records Maintenance Annual Fee

In child support and maintenance cases, Illinois statute 705 ILCS 105/27.1a (bb)(4) authorizes the circuit clerk to collect an annual fee of $36 "…from the person [payer] making payment for maintaining child support records and the processing of support orders to the State of Illinois KIDS system and the recording of payments issued by the State Disbursement Unit for the official record of the Court." 

This annual clerk's fee is in addition to and separate from amounts ordered to be paid as maintenance or child support, and is used by the circuit clerk to maintain child support orders and record all payments issued by the State Disbursement Unit for the official record of the Court. 

Each year the circuit clerk's office sends reminder notices to the last known address of each payer. 

Failure to pay your annual clerk's fee may affect your credit rating. 

You may make your annual clerk's fee payment using your credit card. 

Online Payments
To pay ONLINE you will need the following information in order to make a payment: 

·         Case #

·         Dollar Amount You Are Paying

·         A Valid MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American Express Card

*A convenience fee of 3.5% of the payment or $3.50 minimum will be added to the amount of fees due for this service. Government Payment Services (GPS) is an independent company that charges this fee for its services. The Court and Circuit Clerk's office receives no part of the convenience fee. 

Pay your maintenance fee online.

 

-- 
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206 

How to Obtain a Copy of Your McLean County Divorce Judgment

In McLean County Illinois, copies of your court file are always available for you, either from the actual file or from a microfilm of your case.

The cost for photocopies is $2.00 for the first page, .50 per page for the next 19 pages, then .25 per page for each page thereafter. Certification may be had for an additional $10.00 upon request.

The Clerk asks that you have the caption of the case, the case number if possible, or the year in which the case was filed to assist them in retrieving your records. If you need several years searched, the cost is $6.00 per year for record searches.

Please note: Cases from the 1960's (Divorce Records) are stored at an off-site facility and it can take 1-2 days to retrieve these files for inspection and copying. Please let the Clerk know by phone or e-mail and they can work with you to eliminate unnecessary trips to their office.

You may request copies in person during their business hours of M-F 8:30-4:30, or in writing or by e-mail. The cost of all copies must be paid in advance of any mailing. Please make checks/money orders payable to: McLean County Circuit Clerk. 

The Clerk will advise you of the cost of your copies. Do not send cash via the mail.

The Clerk's Address is:
McLean County Circuit Clerk- Attn: Family Division
PO Box 2420
Bloomington, IL 61702-2420 or

--
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206 

McLean County Family Visitation Center (Bloomington Illinois)

A lot of clients need help with supervised visitation or visitation exchanges in a public place. The Visitation Center in Bloomington Illinois is one resource in these types of cases

 

McLean County Family Visitation Center

McLean County is located in central Illinois about an hour northeast of Springfield. 

According to the US Census Bureau, the 2004 estimated population of McLean County is 158,006 with a land area of 1,184 square miles. 

In 2004, 182 Emergency Orders of Protection, 13 Interim Orders of Protection and 175 Plenary Orders of Protection were entered into the Law Enforcement Administrative Data System (LEADS).

 

Development of the McLean County Family Visitation Center:

In 1999, the McLean County Domestic Violence Task Force, established in the mid 1990's, composed of community members, churches, the Sheriff's Department, the State's Attorney, victim advocates and partner abuse intervention service providers began exploring the issues of children in families with domestic violence and specifically the lack of safety during exchanges for both victims and their children.  The Task Force determined the community needed a center that would allow for safe visitation exchanges that would help protect both children experiencing domestic violence and the victim.   

The Task Force supported The Children's Foundation when they applied for, and received, a pilot grant from the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority (IVPA) to develop and implement a visitation exchange center. 

The McLean County Family Visitation Center opened September 1999 and currently serves seven families a month.

 

Program Administration

The Children's Foundation provides fiscal and personnel oversight for the McLean County Family Visitation Center.

 

Site/Location

The McLean County Family Visitation Center is located at the offices of The Children's

Foundation in Bloomington.  The facility has both a front and back entrance so parents arrive through separate entrances.  The custodial parent uses the front entrance and the non-custodial parent uses the back entrance.

The Visitation Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Sunday where exchanges can occur at any time.  The agency averages about 12 hours a week in exchanges.

 

Security

Security cameras are located in the McLean County Family Visitation Center parking lots, building hallways and in the visitation room.  Parents are videotaped from the time of their arrival to the time of their departure.  Parents are informed of the cameras during the intake interview and sign a form that they are aware of the cameras and that they are being videotaped. 

There is a panic button on the wall and a portable panic button that is carried by the staff that notifies law enforcement immediately.

 

Funding

The Children's Foundation received funding for a pilot grant from IVPA for two years. They were notified by IVPA in May of 2001 that the McLean County Family Visitation Center would not be eligible for funding in fiscal year 2002 due to changes in prevention criteria used by IVPA.  With the loss of this funding, the Foundation's board of directors began a fundraising effort.  The Foundation received a one time grant from the county for $10,000 in 2003 as well as a two year federal Safe Havens Grant in October 2004.  The Foundation is reapplying for Safe Havens funding for 2006-2008.

Additional funding is generated from intake fees and exchanges.  The non-custodial parent is charged a $25.00 intake fee and each parent is charged $5.00 per exchange, collected at the time of the exchange.  In cases of financial hardship, a family can write a letter to the Visitation Center requesting a fee waiver or fee reduction.  Staff determines if a waiver is granted on a case-by-case basis. 

 

Staffing

The McLean County Visitation Center is staffed with social workers employed by The Children's Foundation.  Typically, one staff person is scheduled for exchanges, but if there are exchanges scheduled where either of the parents are exhibiting certain risk factors, additional staff will be added.  The Visitation Center also has students in the Masters of Social Work program from Illinois State University who assist with exchanges.

During their first year at the Foundation, new staff, volunteers and interns complete a 15 hour training course covering stages of child development, the effects of divorce, family violence including intimate partner abuse, child abuse, and mandated reporting for child abuse.  Annually, ten hours of continuing education training is provided for staff.  

 

Protocols/Procedures Types of cases

A court order is not required in order to use the McLean County Family Visitation Center but families must have been or are experiencing domestic violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or stalking.  Referrals may come from the court, attorneys, shelters and other social service agencies or as a self-referral from the family.

 

Procedures -- Intake

Both parents are required to schedule an intake assessment before the Visitation Center will begin providing supervised exchanges:  

The parents are interviewed individually and the following information is covered: A Client Fact Sheet that includes the names of parents, contact information and the names of the children; A Legal Information Form that includes information on any current or expired orders of protection, court orders for visitation, docket numbers and the names of any judges presiding over cases between the parties and the attorneys representing them; A social history that contains any family history of violence; The guidelines for using the Visitation Center; Each parent signs a form indicating that they have received the rules of the Visitation Center, an Informed Consent to Participate in Services, the Statement of Confidentiality, the Clients Rights Statement, and the Appeal/Grievance Policy for Persons Served.

 

  Exchange Process

The non-custodial parent arrives 10 minutes before the exchange and enters through the rear entrance.

The custodial parent arrives at the designated time of the exchange through the front entrance.

The staff will bring the child to the non-custodial parent who is waiting in the visitation room. 

The non-custodial parent will wait 15 minutes with the child while the custodial parent leaves the building.

When returning the non-custodial parent and child arrive 15 minutes before the exchange.

The custodial parent arrives at the designated time of the exchange, picks up the child and leaves.

The non-custodial parent waits 15 minutes and then leaves.

 

Records and Reporting

The Visitation Center provides reports to the court on a quarterly basis.  The reports include a summary of the services provided, reasons for cancellation of an exchange, no shows, observations and concerns of the staff and recommendations if appropriate.  Reports are filed more frequently if there is a pressing issue.  The reports filed with the court are also sent to the clients and their attorneys.

 

Other Services Provided

The Children's Foundation is a child welfare agency and part of Children's Home & Aid Society of Illinois.  Services available include supervised visitation, transportation to and from visits, parenting/child groups, therapy, and an on-site crisis nursery. 

 

Data Collection

Due to the fact that the McLean County Family Visitation Center is funded by Safe Havens, the Visitation Center uses a required database from the Department of Justice that includes demographic information, reasons for referrals, family issues and the number of exchanges.

 

Advisory Committee

The McLean County Family Visitation Center has an advisory committee that meets quarterly. 

The role of this committee is to advise the program on policies and programming as they relate to the Visitation Center.  The committee includes representation from the following groups: women's advocates, child abuse services, Illinois State University School of Social Work, family law attorneys, legal services, family law division judges, physicians, the state's attorney's office, child protection, law enforcement and court administration.

 

Promotion/Marketing

A brochure on the McLean County Family Visitation Center is distributed to judges, attorneys and service providers.  The Visitation Center hosts annual trainings for judges, attorneys and law enforcement.

  

If you have any questions regarding the McLean County Visitation Center, or other Child Custody or Visitation matters, please contact my office to schedule a Consultation.

--
Jon D. McLaughlin

(309) 319-6206