Tools for Chicago Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Chicago families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

Families in Chicago who end up in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division rarely arrive at a mediation, a therapy session, or a home visit with their records in order. FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform built for those parents. Below is what it does for them, what it means for you as a guardian ad litem, therapist, or mediator, and what to know about family court in Chicago.

Illinois uses its own words, "allocation of parental responsibilities" where many states say custody and "parenting time" where they say visitation, and the tools follow Illinois's terms so the papers parents bring you read the way the court reads them.

Area covered: Cook County.

Court for custody cases: Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division.

Appointed for the child: Guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge.

Parenting coordinators: Set by state law or court rule (Ill. S. Ct. R. 909).

Parenting class: Required statewide.

State family law: Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5).

What Illinois calls custody: allocation of parental responsibilities.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For guardians ad litem in Chicago

In Illinois, the court can appoint a guardian ad litem in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

On FamilyCourtHelp.com you see what a parent chooses to share. A parent can invite you into the co-parent conversation with a single-use link, which you accept with your own free account; from there you can read the thread, post in it, and review the shared calendar's requests and approvals. A parent can also share the parenting plan with you to read and comment on.

For therapists and counselors in Chicago

Court-involved and reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Chicago do not get an account view here, and that is deliberate: each parent keeps their own record and chooses what to bring you. The free messenger keeps the week's facts in one time-stamped thread, and its Tone Meter flags a heated message and suggests a calmer one before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Chicago

In Illinois, custody mediation is often ordered by the judge. Parenting coordinators are set by state law or court rule (Ill. S. Ct. R. 909). The details are in the FAQ below.

Sessions in Chicago start further along when the draft is already on the table. Parents can share their parenting plan with you to read and comment on, and invite you into their conversation with a single-use link. Agreements then live in one time-stamped thread, and every schedule change is a request on the shared calendar that the other parent approves or declines.

Parenting coordinators can be added to a shared plan as a viewer who reads and comments.

Family court programs in Chicago

Custody cases in Chicago are heard in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Family Court Services (Mediation and Focus on Children class): Court office that gives free custody mediation to parents ordered there by a judge, and runs the required Focus on Children parent education class.

Office of the Cook County Public Guardian, Domestic Relations Division: Public office whose lawyers can be appointed to represent children in contested custody and parenting time cases in Cook County.

Domestic Relations Division Parenting Coordinators: Court page on parenting coordinators used in Cook County Domestic Relations cases.

If you searched for a guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Chicago, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Chicago: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Cook: Cook County Legal Self-Help Center. Free walk-in help with court forms and basic court information for people representing themselves, no legal advice given.

Cook legal aid: Legal Aid Chicago, (312) 341-1070.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Chicago?

Divorce, parentage and parenting time cases for Chicago and the rest of Cook County are heard in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Where can parents in Chicago get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Cook County Legal Self-Help Center. Free legal aid: Legal Aid Chicago. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Chicago?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does a guardian ad litem do in a Chicago custody case?

Illinois judges can appoint a lawyer for the child in one of three roles. A guardian ad litem investigates and gives the court a written report. A child representative argues for what they find is best for the child. An attorney for the child acts as the child's own lawyer. You may also see "child representative", "attorney for the child" and "GAL". The rule is in 750 ILCS 5/506. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Illinois?

Every Illinois judicial circuit must run a mediation program for parenting time and parental responsibility disputes. Judges commonly send contested parenting issues to mediation, and can excuse it when something like abuse makes mediation unsafe. Each circuit sets its own details by local rule.

Does Illinois use parenting coordinators?

An Illinois Supreme Court rule lets each circuit set up a parenting coordination program by local rule. A parenting coordinator is a licensed mental health or family law professional appointed by the court to help high-conflict parents carry out their parenting plan. Not every circuit has a program.

Do parents in Illinois have to take a parenting class?

Parents in Illinois divorce and parentage cases involving children must finish an approved parenting education program of at least four hours. Each circuit or county approves its own class. The court excuses it only with a written finding that skipping it is in the child's best interests.