By: Laura Ginsberg

Mediation Achieving Results for Children (M.A.R.C.H.), a program born in the 25th Judicial Circuit, will be recognized with the Irwin Cantor Innovative Program Award at this summer's 47th Annual Conference of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).

M.A.R.C.H. was chosen to receive this prestigious award from among the organization's 3,800 members from 27 countries. AFCC is an international and interdisciplinary association of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of conflicts that often arise during family court cases.

"It's amazing to be recognized in this way," said Larry Swall, executive director of M.A.R.C.H. "M.A.R.C.H. has grown from a small pilot program to a statewide organization over the past 13 years. When we started, mediation barely existed in the state of Missouri."

M.A.R.C.H. began in 1997 when 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Ralph Haslag spearheaded the effort to bring a mediation program to the area., Haslag and a planning committee comprised of lawyers, mediators, judges and other family court experts started researching mediation programs from across the country to develop the best program for the circuit. The program originally was based in Rolla but now operates in Liberty.

"This program would not be where it is today in terms of its success without the guidance and support of Judge Haslag," said Bob Hellrung, attorney and M.A.R.C.H. mediator. "The program may not exist at all without his dedicated efforts through the years."

M.A.R.C.H. currently is a statewide program with more than 100 trained mediators working throughout Missouri. The program provided mediation services to about 1,300 families during the previous year.

"This program really works," said 25th Judicial Circuit Presiding Judge Mary W. Sheffield, "and the fact that it came out of the 25th Circuit is amazing."

Statewide, M.A.R.C.H. uses trained mediators to help parents who are divorced or have never been married communicate with one another to reduce animosity and make decisions that are in the best interests of their children and the family. The program is free to participants and is funded by the Missouri Family Support Division.

In the 25th Judicial Circuit, M.A.R.C.H. services have been expanded as part of the Family Court Program to provide mediation in divorce and separation cases, including those not involving children. Divorce mediation is unique to the 25th Circuit and is funded through the Family Court Program.

"It has really served to change the manner in which people go through the family court process," Swall said. "It is easy for people to become adversarial during a family law proceeding, but mediation turns that concept on its head. Mediation teaches long-term problem-solving skills and different ways to address disagreements."

Another benefit to mediation is its success in helping parties settle cases without going to trial. When parties can reach an agreement through mediation, they are able to have a say in the outcome of their case, rather than the decision being left to a judge.

"With the help of a mediator, parties can more effectively listen to each other and find areas of agreement," Hellrung said. "That allows them to fashion their own decisions, rather than have a decision imposed by the court."

Hellrung, Swall and Haslag all will be attending the AFCC Conference held June 2-5 in Denver, Co. In addition to accepting the Irwin Cantor Innovative Program Award, Haslag and Hellrung will give a presentation at the conference about innovation and the 25th Judicial Circuit's Family Court Program. M.A.R.C.H. representatives also will have the opportunity to attend more than 70 educational sessions led by some of the world's top experts and researchers. More than 1,000 people from around the world will attend the conference.