Category Archives: Family

Family Court – Parenting Time

Discuss and Resolve Parenting Time Questions Online

Scales of JusticeOnce a parenting time schedule has been established, maintaining it can be a challenge. Life happens.

When a parenting time complaint or issue emerges, an in-person mediation or hearing can be hard to schedule, especially when one parent is distant geographically or has other constraints. 

Family Courts and Friend of the Court agencies with Matterhorn bring parents and staff together to resolve parenting time issues online. Parents can communicate 1-on-1 with caseworkers through a private and secure portal. Parent communication with each other may be direct or may be handled through a mediator by shuttle diplomacy, depending on the situation.

When all the players engage from their own devices and on their own time, matters can be discussed and resolved conveniently and quickly.

Easy, Convenient Communication

Caseworkers, neutrals if needed, and parents communicate easily online with their own devices on their own schedules. Matterhorn notifies the relevant parties when there is new information or an agreement to be signed on the platform.

Work out Issues before a Hearing

Court staff may need to schedule a hearing to enforce a parenting time complaint. Ahead of a scheduled hearing, the parents can resolve the issue online by creating a makeup time policy or coming to a revised agreement that reflects the new situation.

Quick, Online Agreements

Once all stakeholders have agreed upon a revised schedule or makeup policy, court staff can prepare an agreement, stipulation, or consent order. This agreement can be signed by all parties digitally from their own devices, and then posted if needed to the case management system.

Secure, Private Setting

The security and privacy of information about your clients, their discussions, and their family is paramount. Learn more about Matterhorn security and privacy.

Family Court Parenting Time Online Resolution

Benefits to Your Court

  • Resolve more cases before their hearings
  • Convenient agreements and negotiation
  • Configured to your court's unique approaches

Benefits to Families

  • Connect with your caseworker conveniently from any device
  • Secure and private negotiation space

What is Matterhorn?

Matterhorn is a web-based platform that to allows courts to offer an online option for their court users and staff.

Family Court – Child Support Compliance

Connect Online with Family Outreach

Scales of JusticeExtend the reach of your family court with Matterhorn Family Outreach, an online platform that brings parents and courts together to resolve child support compliance issues. Parents can access their family court case details 24/7 from any computer, tablet, or smartphone, and communicate 1-on-1 with court staff through their private and secure parent portal.

When all the parties engage, problems can be identified and solved with fewer court resources.

Hear from the Michigan 20th Circuit Court

Watch the video to hear from:

  • Kevin J. Bowling, JD Court Administrator, 20th Circuit & Ottawa County Probate Courts
  • Matthew J. Schmid, M.A. SCAO Mediator Assistant Friend of the Court: Field Services Ottawa County
  • Rachel Russell, Judicial Clerk II, Ottawa County Friend of the Court

Matterhorn ODR for Child Support Compliance Features

Enhanced Communication

Keep parents informed with automatic notifications for hearings, schedule changes, and payment reminders. Courts can also send custom email and text notifications through the platform, or communicate with direct messaging between caseworkers and parents.

Reducing Hearings, Reducing Warrants

Matterhorn encourages parents to be proactive with their family court affairs. Parents can easily connect with the court to resolve their payment issues before there’s a need to come to court, reducing the number of show cause hearings scheduled and warrants issued due to non-payment of support.

Improved Hearing Day Efficiency

Administrative effort is greatly reduced using Matterhorn. Our platform has streamlined the check-in process for court staff on hearing day so that valuable time won’t be spent processing a line. Caseworkers’ queues are updated in realtime so they can manage their meetings efficiently.

Security and Privacy

Security and privacy of your client data is paramount to you and to us as well. The Matterhorn platform is routinely audited for compliance with federal requirements and technology best practices. Learn more about Matterhorn security and privacy practices.

Family Court Child Support Compliance Benefits

Benefits to Your Court

  • Resolve more cases before their hearings
  • Reduce warrants
  • Save staff time
  • Configured to your court's unique approaches

Benefits to Citizens & Community

  • Connect with your court in a safe and trusted way
  • Digitally documented case history
  • Text message and email notifications of hearings, schedule changes, and payment reminders

What is Matterhorn?

Matterhorn is a web-based platform designed to allow courts to handle large volumes of infractions, disputes, warrants, and other cases—all online.

Civil Case Online Resolution

Online Dispute Resolution for Civil and Family Cases

Scales of JusticeMatterhorn Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) is a way for people to resolve disputes online, rather than through traditional in-person hearings, alternative dispute resolution or mediation. ODR can be applied to many civil case types, such as payment disputes, property management disputes, income and property tax cases, licensing hearings, unemployment claims, retirement hearings, benefits concerns, workers compensation, small claims, utilities disputes, and family court child support compliance and parenting time disputes.

What is Matterhorn?

A Secure, Convenient Communication Platform

Parties are able to resolve their differences through real-time or asynchronous communications privately and online. Parties appreciate this flexibility. Our agencies see resolutions initiated 24/7 rather than just during business hours.

Third parties, such as a moderator, mediator, or arbitrator, may be involved in the online interaction to assist in resolution.

Productive Online Conversations

The online environment helps create a sense of safety and neutrality, and oversight by your agency or appointed mediators helps the parties focus on a productive and fair resolution.

Small Claims Court ODR

Matterhorn Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) has helps people involved in small claims cases communicate and resolve their concerns online, ahead of their scheduled court hearing.

"We received compliments from parties on the very first day the platform launched....Users have found our ODR negotiation platform easy to use and are appreciated of the time it saves."

Alex Sanchez, Franklin County Municipal Court Online Dispute Resolution Manager, quoted in the magazine of the Norwegian Judiciary, Rett på Sak

Family Court ODR

Matterhorn Family Court Compliance Platform connects caseworkers, custodial parents, and non-custodial parents.

With Matterhorn, court staff can engage with their clients without having to call them into court for a show-cause hearing. 

The court and parents can come together online to handle child support compliance and other concerns in a safe, secure, and convenient environment. 

Family Court Results

Family Court Compliance Results at the Friend of the Court, 20th Circuit Court, Ottawa County Michigan

Hear from the 20th Circuit Court

Watch the video to hear from:

  • Kevin J. Bowling, JD Court Administrator, 20th Circuit & Ottawa County Probate Courts
  • Matthew J. Schmid, M.A. SCAO Mediator Assistant Friend of the Court: Field Services Ottawa County
  • Rachel Russell, Judicial Clerk II, Ottawa County Friend of the Court

Before: Stressful Hearing Days for Families and Staff Alike

Prior to Matterhorn, Ottawa County’s 20th Circuit Court was running weekly show-cause hearings for parents who failed to make monthly child support payments.

Every Friday, as many as 100 very unhappy people would pack into the Friend of the Court’s offices. The hearing days were stressful for court staff, who had to shepherd them through check-in, meeting with a case manager, meeting with a court-provided attorney, and then going before the judge, all in a space of a few hours. Meanwhile, court staff tallied no-shows and began the process of issuing dozens of failure-to-appear warrants.

During the rest of the week, court staff spent much of their time preparing for the hearing days. They sent letters and communications about balances and hearings, organized files, and answered calls—in addition to their many other responsibilities. Managing all the warrants and hearings took significant staff time.

Solution: Collaboration and Communication Avert Hearings

In 2016, Ottawa County court leadership sought to allow their caseworkers to communicate more easily with their clients.

Additionally, the Friend of the Court sought to increase compliance with child support orders, reduce hearings, and reduce warrants.

Matterhorn Family Court Compliance Results

More Compliance

28%
more child support collected.

The court realized year over year gains in child support collection. Monthly collections in 2018 were almost 1/3 more than monthly collections prior to Matterhorn.

Comparison average monthly collections 2018 vs July-Nov 2016.

Fewer Hearings

23%
fewer hearings per month.

After Matterhorn, the average number of hearings per month dropped from close to 400 (prior to launch) to around 300 per month.

Comparison monthly average 2018 vs.July-Nov 2016.

Fewer Warrants

33%
fewer warrants per month.

The average number of warrants issued per month dropped from 143 to close to 100.

Comparison average warrants 2018 vs. July-Nov 2016.

Learn more about Family Court Compliance from Matterhorn

Let Matterhorn help you get these outcomes into your court. Learn more about our Family Court Solutions and get in touch!