DOWAGIAC — The hallway leading to the courtroom of the Honorable Susan L. Dobrich at the Cass County Law and Courts Building was lined with display boards highlighting the numerous services provided by the Cass County Friend of the Court.

This year, the Friend of the Court turned 100 years old and Cass County Friend of the Court celebrated with an open house, inviting the community to witness how far Friend of the Court has come in its milestone.

Michigan stood at the forefront of caring for children and in 1917, judges from Wayne County appointed a special prosecutor as a “Friend of the Court.” The prosecutor’s role was to bring the court’s attention to a person’s failure to follow orders and to ensure that children in Wayne County were being cared for, said Carol Bealor, the director at the Cass County Friend of the Court.

In 1919, Michigan Legislature passed legislation to create a Friend of the Court in every county across the state. In 1982, the Friend of the Court moved into the judicial branch of government and has since been a circuit court office with an official Friend of the Court director appointed by the chief judge. Cass County’s current chief judge is the Honorable Susan L. Dobrich.

Bealor, who has been director for six and half years, said throughout the 100 years, nationally, Friend of the Court was primarily focused on child support. Michigan was unique because its origins included child welfare.

“There has always been a component to Friend of the Court looking at not only child support, but also the parenting and custody arrangement and that’s unique nationwide,” Bealor said. “It’s just really important because there have always been families that have not stayed together. You have to figure out how everyone is going to be taken care of.”

With funding and staffing levels ranging across the state, Friend of the Court offices offer a variety of services.

Bealor said Cass County’s Friend of the Court offers a unique service called Parenting Academy. The Academy is offered at the Cass District Library every month and facilitated by Dr. Rebecca Katovisch and Dr. Michael Jenuwine. Participants complete five modules and receive a graduation certificate at the end.

“It’s basically to focus on the issues that face people who are parenting children in separate households,” Bealor said.

The office created community boards to display at Thursday’s event in an effort to raise awareness that Friend of the Court is not just a child support collection agency. In 2019, the Cass County Friend of the Court has had 3,650 open cases and collected and disbursed more than $7 million in the 2019 fiscal year.

A board in the middle of the room represented a job board that a staff member maintains and constantly updates with open jobs and places that are hiring. This is just one example of a service the office provides.

As Bealor looks to the future, the office is constantly researching improvements. Recently, it started up the S.M.I.L.E. Program. Smile stands for Start Making It Livable for Everyone.  The program features a video that was produced in Oakland County and recently revamped. The video discusses the importance of parents working together to raise their children.

“All cases that involve men and children, for the most part, are going to watch that video and attend an orientation with our office,” Bealor said. “They can familiarize themselves with all the services that are offered.”

Bealor said the most rewarding part of her job is meeting people wherever they are at and figuring out ways the office can assist them.

When people see the Friend of the Court office, Bealor said they may become worried about paying child support, but there is a lot more to a case.

Situations can be worked out by meeting with both parties and finding solutions that are not just money focused, she said.

“Those are the exciting things because sometimes you can change support or decrease it,” Bealor said. “Maybe that person that’s paying support could go and take care of the child, so that other parent can work. They can do some remodeling work or fix some things. We are open, if people are in agreement, to working out those things and helping them. Not all of us have money, so there are other ways we can contribute to our children’s lives.”