Parent Education

Family Court Services’ Focus On Children program offers parents a way to gain insight and awareness as to how their choices and behaviors during and after separation or divorce impact their children. Most importantly, it provides information, skills, and resources to help parents protect their children from parental conflict and to help the family adjust to its new reality.    

There are three main themes present in the curriculum: (1) how children of different ages and developmental stages experience separation and divorce, especially when parents become highly conflictual, (2) how parents can better understand and help their children cope with major change in their lives, and (3) how parents can better understand one another through effective communication and peaceful co-parenting. The program also explores the emotional impact of separation and divorce and their effects on parents and children alike.

The curriculum consists of lectures by two program facilitators, exercises from the program workbook, video messages from Cook County Domestic Relations Division judges, video interviews of adults and children who have experienced separation and divorce, and small and large group discussions. The curriculum also acknowledges more complex issues that may be present for some families such as children with special needs, family and intimate partner violence, mental illness, and alcohol and substance abuse. The topics are not discussed in great detail due to time constraints, but information about how to access resources is provided.

Registration is required to attend the Focus on Children program. Parents are not allowed to attend the same class. Each party to a case must choose and register for their own class. Classes are offered on certain weekday mornings and weekday afternoons, as well as some Saturday mornings. Registration may be completed by calling (312) 603-1540 or by emailing a request to DRD.family@cookcountyil.gov.

There is a fee of fifty dollars ($50) to attend Focus on Children. The fee is payable at any suburban office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County before attending the class or in Room 802 at Daley Center in Chicago. The fee may be waived only by a court’s order.  

At the conclusion of the program, attendees are awarded a “Certificate of Completion,” which may be used as proof of attendance. Please take care to hold on to your certificate, as duplicate certificates are not available.

Some parents may have taken an online parenting class or a different class elsewhere; however, if you have been ordered to participate in mediation or in an emergency intervention by the court, you will also need to take (or, in some cases, re-take) the in-person Focus on Children class (pursuant to Domestic Relations Division General Order: 2015 D 2).