Unified Family Court

UFC Overview

• UFC Overview

UFC Calendar

• Today’s Calendar
• UFC Calendar Protocols

Related Information

• Related Case Information Sheet
• Chapter 39 Quick Reference Guide

Frequently Asked

• FAQs for Unified Family Court

Administrative Orders

• Unified Family Court Administrative Order #25-20

Contact

• Important Telephone Numbers

Related Links

• UFC Related Links & Resources

Our Judges

• Unified Family Court Judges
• Emergency Judges

Our Locations

• Miami-Dade Children's Courthouse

Our Hours

• Monday - Friday
• 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

• Circuit Civil
• County Civil
• Criminal
• Family
• Probate
• Unified Family Court
• Traffic
• Domestic Violence
• Appellate

Unified Family Court

The Unified Family Court (UFC) Division has jurisdiction to handle related family law matters (Family, Juvenile Dependency and Delinquency, and Domestic Violence (DV) Injunction cases) in multiple parts of the court system (sometimes referred to as “crossover” cases). In accordance with mandates issued by the Florida Supreme Court in May 2001 and January 2014, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit’s Unified Family Court Division was established as a mechanism to provide a comprehensive, coordinated approach to handling complex related case matters, pursuant to the “One Family, One Judge” Model, with the overall purpose of promoting judicial economy, ensuring consistent rulings and court orders regarding access to children are not conflicting, minimizing inconvenience to litigants, and eliminating duplication of resources. For purposes of matters qualifying to be heard in the UFC Division, a Related Case is defined as two or more open cases in the Family and/or Domestic Violence Divisions, and/or Juvenile Dependency and/or Delinquency case(s), which involve any of the same parties, children, or issues.

View Today's Calendar

View today’s court calendars for the Unified Family Court Division located at the Miami-Dade County Children’s Courthouse. By clicking on the link, visitors can view and search real-time case information from a computer or mobile device before entering the courthouse. Step confidently into the courthouse knowing where to go. Given the confidentiality of court cases, all you need is your court case number (starts with D, J, or ends in FC04), and the calendar will tell you the name of the Judge, time of the hearing, and the courtroom number.

Juvenile Delinquency

Presides over cases involving minors under the age of 18 who have allegedly committed a criminal offense under the Florida Statutes. The Unified Family Court Division, state agencies, and community partners work closely together with the goal of rehabilitation and/or treatment of the child and family rather than punishment.

Juvenile Dependency

Protects children and strives to achieve safe permanent homes for those who have suffered abuse, neglect and/or abandonment.

Juvenile Drug Treatment Court

The Juvenile Drug Treatment Court program aims to reduce juvenile recidivism rates by providing participants with the necessary recovery tools and community support.

Dependency Treatment Court

The Dependency Treatment Court (DTC) addresses the underlying substance abuse problems that may exist with parents involved in dependency court.

G.R.A.C.E. Court

The G.R.A.C.E. Court is the first specialized court in the nation devoted to the needs of children who have been identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation and labor trafficking.

Early Childhood Court

Early Childhood Court (ECC) is a problem-solving court which addresses child welfare cases involving children under the age of three and is premised on the fact that healthy attachment and early brain development, from birth to age three, is crucial to a child's future social-emotional health, school-readiness, and life-long well-being.

Programs and Services

Family Court Services

Family Court Services helps parents resolve issues together and also makes referrals to needed community services.

Family Court Self-Help Program

The purpose of a self-help program is to assist self represented litigants, within the bounds of this rule, to achieve fair and efficient resolution of their family law case.

Social Investigation Program

This Unit coordinates, monitors and assigns cases to consultants who perform home studies/social investigations and make recommendations.

Child Support Enforcement

Child Support Enforcement Division helps when a parent or guardian has custody of a child and the other parent does not provide financial support.

Parenting Coordinators

Parenting Coordinators are court-ordered to high conflict cases to help parties create parenting plans and resolve child-related disputes.

Marchman Petition

Provides the means for an individual to receive voluntary or involuntary treatment for substance abuse.

Divorce Education Program For Parents

This required program by the courts helps parents and their children adjust with the changes that come with divorce.

Court Care

Court Care provides a safe and supervised drop-in childcare facility for children who must be in court in connection with matters involving the children or their parents or guardian.

Domestic Violence Intake Unit

Operated through the joint efforts of the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller of Miami-Dade County (COC) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) Advocacy unit, the Intake Unit is comprised of intake counselors and support staff dedicated to providing efficient and responsive services to the court and the community.

Department of Translation and Interpretation

Court Interpreters interpret and translate verbal and written communications from a non-English to English language in court proceedings.

Miami-Dade County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team

Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team goal is to more fully understand the dynamics of domestic violence-related and child deaths through multi-disciplinary review, develop inter-system policies and protocols geared towards prevention, and thereby reduce future fatalities.

Children in Need of Service

Caregivers, parents, guardians seek assistance from the court in order to try to find services to help with their families and children.

Mediation

Mediation is a service provided by the courts that allows litigants to solve their disputes without having to go to trial.

Court Reporting Services

Court reporting provides "word-for-word" record of everything said in criminal, juvenile and domestic violence case proceedings.