Family Court Services

San Bernardino County Family Court Services helps parents and other parties address child custody, visitation, parenting plans, and certain related family matters through the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. This article explains what Family Court Services does, how Child Custody Recommending Counseling works, how to complete the required orientation, what to prepare for an appointment, how remote and in-person sessions are handled, and how Family Court Services differs from the broader Family Law division.

Family Court Services Overview

The San Bernardino County Family Court Services division is part of the Superior Court. The Family Court has jurisdiction over domestic matters that can arise from divorce, legal separation, parentage cases, and other proceedings involving children. Family Court Services has a more focused role within that system, particularly when parents need help resolving disputes about custody and visitation.

One of its primary services is Child Custody Recommending Counseling. During this process, a counselor works with parents on custody, visitation, and parenting-plan issues. The goal is to reduce conflict and help parents create arrangements that address their children's needs. If the parents cannot reach an agreement, the counselor makes a recommendation to the court.

Family Court Services also provides relationship counseling in qualifying situations, premarital counseling for minors who are requesting court approval to marry, and guardianship mediation concerning visitation issues.

Services Available Through FCS

Family Court Services handles several distinct types of counseling and mediation. Knowing which service applies helps prevent confusion between a custody counseling appointment and other Family Court Services programs.

Child Custody Recommending Counseling

Child Custody Recommending Counseling is a process in which a trained counselor helps parents address disagreements involving custody and parenting time. Parents are encouraged to listen to each other's concerns and work toward a parenting plan that meets the needs of their children.

The service is free and usually occurs before the first court date. A successful counseling session can result in an agreement between the parents. When no agreement is reached, the counselor prepares a recommendation for the court. The judge remains responsible for making court orders.

The counseling process is intended to reduce parental conflict and develop a plan for how children will spend time with their parents. A parenting plan may also address how parents share responsibilities and make decisions involving their children.

Relationship Counseling

Parents may request marriage or relationship counseling, or the court may order it. Both parents must agree to participate. This service is different from Child Custody Recommending Counseling because its purpose concerns the parents' relationship rather than preparation of a custody recommendation for the court.

Premarital Counseling for Minors

A person under age 18 who is seeking a marriage license must obtain court approval. As part of that process, a Family Court Services counselor meets with the couple and evaluates their circumstances before the judge makes a decision.

Guardianship Mediation

Family Court Services also provides guardianship mediation to help resolve visitation disagreements arising in guardianship cases. This service should not be confused with a custody counseling appointment between parents in an ordinary family law custody dispute.

How Custody Counseling Works

During Child Custody Recommending Counseling, the counselor hears information from both parents and encourages them to work together. The central objective is a parenting arrangement that addresses the children's needs while reducing conflict between the adults.

Family Court Services counselors are licensed professionals with master's degrees and experience in psychology, family counseling, social work, or related fields. Their training includes domestic violence, child development, substance abuse, and family dynamics.

The counselor's role is not the same as the judge's role. The counselor helps parents seek agreement and, when necessary, provides a recommendation. Court orders are made through the court process.

When Children May Be Interviewed

Children are not automatically interviewed in every custody matter. A child may be interviewed when the court orders an interview or when the counselor decides that an interview is necessary because of disagreements between the parents. Children under age five are not usually interviewed.

Parents should therefore avoid assuming that bringing a child to the counseling process will result in an interview. The decision depends on the circumstances described by the court and Family Court Services.

Mandatory Orientation Before Counseling

Both parties are required by court order to complete orientation before their scheduled Child Custody Recommending Counseling appointment. The online Family Court Services orientation explains the counseling process and provides educational information about children's developmental needs and co-parenting skills.

The online program takes approximately 40 minutes. It is divided into multiple video portions. English or Spanish subtitles can be enabled through the closed-caption setting in the video player.

After completing the video program, the participant completes a program evaluation and receives a certificate of completion. The court's instructions require proof of completion at the Family Court Services appointment.

Participants should retain one of the following forms of proof:

A printed copy of the certificate of completion.
A saved screenshot of the certificate when using a mobile device or tablet.

The orientation page also requests the participant's name, email address, and case number. The example format provided by the court is FAMSS0000000. The case number is found on the participant's court paperwork.

Preparing for an FCS Appointment

Preparation involves more than completing orientation. The district information sheets also require a Family Court Services questionnaire. The questionnaire is provided when the appointment is scheduled and must be submitted as directed by Family Court Services.

Parties should distinguish the questionnaire from the orientation certificate. The questionnaire provides information used for the Family Court Services process, while the certificate shows that the mandatory orientation requirement has been completed.

The court provides an official Family Court Services questionnaire as part of its Family Court Services materials.

For the orientation and related Family Court Services paperwork, information identified in the court materials includes:

First and last name.
Telephone number and alternate telephone number when applicable.
Email address.
Family court case number.
Completed mandatory orientation proof.
Completed Family Court Services questionnaire when required for the appointment.

A separate Family Court Services contact information sheet asks for the party's name, telephone numbers, email address, and case number. Its instructions state that the completed form may be emailed to Family Court Services and that Family Court Services will contact the party by email within two business days with information about the mediation appointment.

Scheduling After a Court Order

District information sheets for San Bernardino, Joshua Tree, and Barstow state that when a judicial officer orders a party to mediation, the party should go to the Family Court Services office immediately after the hearing to obtain an appointment date and time.

At scheduling, Family Court Services provides information about the mandatory orientation and the required questionnaire. Participants who choose remote services can also receive instructions explaining how to participate by videoconference or telephone.

If a person was not present when the appointment was set, the district information sheets allow the required questionnaire to be submitted by email to the Family Court Services address assigned to that district. Because the email address varies by district, parties should use the information for the location handling their matter rather than assuming that every Family Court Services office uses the same email address.

Remote and In-Person Sessions

Family Court Services information sheets for the San Bernardino Historic District, Joshua Tree District, and Barstow District state that mediation services may be conducted remotely by videoconference or telephone or in person at the court. The sheets state that participants may fully participate using the method they prefer.

Participants choosing remote service receive information about joining the session by video or phone. Those participating in person should follow the appointment information given by the applicable Family Court Services office.

Appointment-Day Check-In

The district instructions require participants to check in 15 minutes before the scheduled appointment time. The court materials indicate that check-in is preferably completed by email or by telephone using the contact information for the district handling the appointment.

This requirement applies separately from orientation. Completing the online orientation does not replace appointment-day check-in, and scheduling an appointment does not eliminate the obligation to complete orientation and the required questionnaire.

Custody and Visitation Terms

Understanding the basic terms used by Family Court Services can make discussions about a parenting plan clearer.

Legal Custody

Legal custody concerns the right to make decisions about a child's health, education, and welfare. Joint legal custody means both parents share those decision-making responsibilities. Sole legal custody means one parent has responsibility for those decisions.

Physical Custody

Physical custody concerns where a child lives and how much time the child spends with each parent. Joint physical custody means the child spends significant time with both parents. Sole physical custody means the child lives primarily with one parent and generally has visitation with the other.

Visitation and Supervision

Visitation refers to scheduled time for a parent to be with a child. Supervised visitation requires a third party to be present during the visit and may be used when concerns exist about the child's safety.

The term joint custody can refer to both joint legal custody and joint physical custody. Parents should pay attention to which form of custody is being discussed because decision-making authority and parenting time are separate issues.

Parenting Plans and Agreements

A parenting plan is a written arrangement describing how parents will share time with their children and make decisions concerning them. During Child Custody Recommending Counseling, the counselor attempts to help the parents create an agreement that addresses those issues.

San Bernardino County Superior Court has a specific procedure for situations in which the parties reach a complete custody and visitation agreement. The court's custody and visitation agreement procedure states that the child custody recommending counselor prepares the agreement while the parties are present and provides a copy for them to review and sign.

An Agreement and Stipulated Order is attached. It includes acknowledgment of receipt, acknowledgment that the agreement is in the children's best interest, and a commitment to provide the agreement to counsel immediately when a party is represented.

Each party has ten days to object to or rescind the agreement by serving the other party with the objection and submitting it to the court within ten days after signing. The document also includes signature blocks and standard findings and orders language.

When custody and visitation are the only issues before the court, the matter remains on the court calendar, but the procedure states that no appearance is required. Family Court Services sends a courtesy copy of the agreement to the attorney of record by fax or email.

Domestic Violence and Custody

Domestic violence can directly affect child custody proceedings. The court's Domestic Violence and Child Custody information explains circumstances in which California Family Code section 3044 may apply.

The court material describes domestic violence broadly, including physical acts, threats, harassment, sexual assault, following, frightening conduct, and other behavior that causes someone to fear being hurt. Domestic violence may be spoken, written, or physical.

The document explains that a special custody rule may apply when, within the previous five years, a parent seeking custody has a qualifying domestic violence conviction or a court has made a qualifying finding of domestic violence. When the rule applies, the judge must evaluate statutory factors before awarding custody to the person who committed the domestic violence.

Those factors include the child's best interests, additional acts of domestic violence, compliance with restraining orders, and completion of certain court-required programs when applicable. The judge must make the required determination rather than relying solely on the conclusions of a custody evaluator or a recommendation from Family Court Services.

Parents should give the court information about domestic violence or abuse that they want the judge to consider in a custody decision. Family Court Services counseling does not replace the court's responsibility to apply custody laws and evaluate evidence presented in the case.

Family Law and FCS Roles

Family Court Services and the Family Law division perform different functions. The San Bernardino County Family Law division handles legal case types such as divorce, legal separation, annulment, parentage, child support, custody, and visitation. Family Court Services focuses on counseling and mediation-related functions within qualifying family matters.

A request for custody or visitation requires an active legal case. Married parents may seek custody and visitation orders in proceedings such as divorce, legal separation, annulment, or a custody and support matter involving minor children. Unmarried parents may need a parentage case or a custody and support case involving minor children.

The Family Law information also states that if a child has not lived in California for at least six months, the court might not have authority to make custody or visitation decisions. That issue concerns the court's legal authority and should not be confused with eligibility to attend a Family Court Services counseling appointment.

Choosing the Correct District

Family Court Services information is provided separately for several court districts. The reference materials include the San Bernardino Historic District, Joshua Tree District, and Barstow District. Each district uses its own Family Court Services contact information for appointment scheduling, questionnaire submission, and check-in.

The district sheets contain similar procedural instructions: mediation may be remote or in person, the mandatory orientation must be completed before the appointment, a Family Court Services questionnaire is required, and participants must check in 15 minutes before the scheduled session.

Because the district email addresses and telephone numbers differ, parties should rely on the information sheet associated with the district handling their case. The official court provides separate San Bernardino District Family Court Services instructions, Joshua Tree District instructions, and Barstow District instructions.

Common Process Mistakes

Several procedural mistakes can create avoidable problems with a Family Court Services appointment. The court's instructions make clear that orientation, the questionnaire, appointment scheduling, and appointment-day check-in are separate steps.

Do not treat completion of orientation as completion of the Family Court Services questionnaire.

Do not arrive at the counseling stage without proof that the required orientation was completed.

Do not use a case number from unrelated paperwork; the orientation asks for the family court case number shown on court documents.

Do not assume every district uses the same email address or telephone number.

Do not overlook the requirement to check in 15 minutes before the appointment.

Do not assume the counselor makes the final custody order. If parents cannot agree, the counselor makes a recommendation to the court.

Do not assume a child will automatically be interviewed as part of the counseling process.

Do not confuse Family Court Services counseling with filing a divorce, parentage, custody, or other Family Law case.

Family Court Services Offices

San Bernardino Historic District Family Court Services Department
(909) 521-3180

Joshua Tree District Family Court Services Department
(760) 974-3039

Barstow District Family Court Services Department
(760) 718-3715

Family Court Services FAQs

Where can I find official custody guidance before dealing with Family Court Services?

The Superior Court provides an official Family Court Services online resources page with links to California Judicial Branch custody information, family law materials, self-help videos, and educational material about mediation and Child Custody Recommending Counseling. These court-provided materials can be useful when you need to understand the legal process or terminology without relying on unofficial websites.

Are there court-approved materials for supervised visitation?

Yes. The San Bernardino County Superior Court's Family Court Services page includes a supervised visitation providers document among its related materials. This can be especially relevant when a court order requires visits to occur with another person present. Always read the actual custody or visitation order carefully because the specific conditions in your case control how visitation must be handled.

Can I use online tools to prepare family law paperwork?

The court lists online form preparation and electronic filing options among its Family Court Services-related links. These tools are separate from counseling or mediation and are intended to assist with court paperwork and filing. If your issue involves starting or managing a divorce, parentage, custody, support, or other family law case, the San Bernardino County Family Law page provides the applicable court information and filing guidance.

Where can I watch official family law videos?

The court's online resources include self-help family law videos as well as California Judicial Branch educational material. These videos can help explain court procedures, custody concepts, and family law topics in a more accessible format. They are supplemental educational materials, so users should still follow any case-specific orders, notices, deadlines, and instructions issued by the court.