The Supreme Court of Ohio’s Children and Families Section recently distributed more than $1 million of its federal Court Improvement Program funds for October 2026 through September 2027. These awards will provide funding and technical assistance to support Ohio courts in improving services and outcomes for children and families.

The opportunities are funded through the federal Court Improvement Program and in partnership with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, which provides funding to states to improve the handling of child abuse and neglect cases.

The awards reflect continued efforts to strengthen court operations, expand collaborative approaches to resolving family-related matters, and improve access to court services. These programs include a “Court Navigator Pilot,” grants for mediation, and court technology improvements, along with specialized technical assistance for local courts to support their programs. 

Court Navigator Pilot
The Adams County Court of Common Pleas received an award to implement a Court Navigator Pilot that will assist individuals navigating abuse, neglect, and dependency court processes.

Mediation Services
Courts in eight counties received mediation grants totaling $514,000 to support mediation in abuse, neglect, and dependency cases; school attendance matters; or both:

• Adams County Court of Common Pleas
• Champaign County Family Court
• Clark County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division
• Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division
• Marion County Family Court
• Monroe County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Scioto County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Wayne County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division

Technology Improvements for Courts
Thirteen courts received grants of more than $266,000 to support improvements for court technology and operations:

• Allen County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Athens County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Coshocton County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile and Probate Division
• Champaign County Family Court
• Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division
• Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Fulton County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Lorain County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division
• Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division
• Portage County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Preble County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Court
• Scioto County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division
• Seneca County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division

Specialized Technical Assistance for Local Courts
Two technical assistance awards will provide specialized support for participating courts and programs:

• The Resolution Systems Institute delivers technical assistance for mediation programs in tandem with the Supreme Court’s Dispute Resolution Section.
• The National Center for State Courts offers technical assistance for Court Navigator grants.