Orange County NC Website
DocuSign Envelope ID:6CD4A528-52AE-410E-B18B-BA619068A9AB t A - continued <br /> Provider's Outside Agency Application <br /> MAIN APPLICATION <br /> Since FY13 Orange County support has enabled DSC to again provide mediations in <br /> Criminal District Court for which we are very grateful. This support has for the last <br /> four years consisted of$60,000 in support of mediations in Orange County Criminal <br /> District Court, and $16,000 in support of community mediations including sliding <br /> scale separation and divorce mediations. <br /> The Orange County Board of County Commissioners in FY13 granted this funding in <br /> order to increase the efficiency of the court system (and potentially keep the jail <br /> population down) while providing Orange County citizens respectful alternatives to <br /> fighting. <br /> Since then, our program has functioned successfully in this way, and has the strong <br /> support of the judges and the District Attorney's office. To quote Chief District Court <br /> Judge Joseph Buckner, "My court would be in lock-down without DSC." <br /> In addition, DSC provides sliding scale separation and divorce mediation sessions on <br /> issues including parenting arrangements, financial divisions, alimony and custody. We <br /> have seen an expansion of separation/divorce mediations, with the sliding scale fee <br /> basis being very important for people who are underemployed or experiencing job <br /> loss. We also help families with eldercare issues and neighbors and small business <br /> people with disputes. <br /> e. Other Pertinent Agency Information <br /> It is pertinent to note that mediation is a practice which does not lend itself to easy evaluation. We <br /> maintain demographic information on clients and resolution rates, but this does not tell the whole <br /> story. In many cases, we talk the parties separately through the conflict, encourage ways of <br /> conciliation, and then they may not mediate, or one side refuses. In other cases, there may be a long <br /> mediation but no resolution—nonetheless progress has been made. Mediators are trained to not focus <br /> on resolutions but on first, doing no harm, and second, empowering the parties to communicate and <br /> negotiate for themselves. <br /> Of course, resolutions can be great things, and we note that in well over 80% of mediations held, <br /> there is a resolution. <br /> Main Application 5/24/2016 9:47:14 AM P , 5 of 2 <br />