DuPage County Family Center

Neutral Exchange

• Provides a safe, conflict free, child-friendly environment in which a child’s movement between parents is supervised
• Allows for staggered arrival and departure times so that no contact occurs between the parents (separate entrances)
• Works as a conduit for communication between parents
• Facilitates agreements on schedule changes, make-up time and unexpected scheduling issues
• Submits documentation for the Court regarding the nature of the exchanges
• Hours of neutral exchange services:              

                 Wed-Thurs-Fri        4pm - 9pm
                        Saturday         8am – noon
                          Sunday         3pm – 8pm           

 Parent Education (divorcing and never married parents with minor children)

• Encourages parents to develop a way to relate to one another that keeps their children out of conflict
• Motivates parents to focus on the best interest of their children
• Emphasizes the need for parents to set aside personal differences in order to provide the healthiest environment possible for their children
• Focuses on developing a “business-like” relationship between parents
• Offered in the classroom and online

 Mediation (never-married parents and indigent divorcing parents)

• A confidential process wherein parents meet with a neutral third party, a trained mediator
• Issues of major decision-making, parenting time and other non-financial issues are addressed
• Explores the nature and extent of parenting time shared by each parent
• Encourages parents to identify and prioritize the concerns and needs of their children
• Assists parents in negotiating a Parenting Plan that will best meet the needs of all family members

 Supervised Parenting Time

• Provides the non-residential parent with a way of spending time with his/her children
• Provides a safe, conflict free and neutral environment for parenting time
• Establishes, re-establishes or maintains a familial relationship
• Ensures the child’s welfare, facilitates transitions and addresses fears of one or both parents
• Submits objective documentation to the Court
• Short term – 1 hour per week for six weeks with schedule to be worked out by Family Center

 In-House Exchange

• Allows a parent to spend unsupervised parenting time with his/her child at the Family Center 
• Way for parents to transition from supervised parenting time before transitioning to parenting time outside of the Family Center
• Provides help with communication between family members
• Timely communication with court, GAL and attorneys on significant issues/incidents
• Submits documentation for the Court regarding the nature of the exchanges
• Same hours as neutral exchange services         

PEACE Program for Conflict Management

• Court ordered intervention for high conflict families
• Teaches parents conflict management skills and communication in a structured group setting
• Motivates parents to focus on the best interest of their children and keep their children out of their conflict
• Focuses on management/resolution of issues within the family rather than the court system

The DuPage County Family Center believes that children need to share relationships with both of their parents.  It is our goal to reach out to families in DuPage County to help them achieve cooperative parenting that focuses on the needs of the children.  Through a range of services, parent education, conflict management groups, neutral exchange, in-house exchange, mediation and supervised parenting time, the DuPage County Family Center strives to establish, maintain and enhance familial relationships.