Family Services Program

During the Court’s closure, Talbot County Family Services is striving to provide Family Law Self Help Assistance via telephone appointments. Please call Alisha Dicus at 410-770-6806 to schedule an appointment. You are also urged to take advantage of the many resources available at www.mdcourts.gov/helpcenter or by calling the Court Help Center at 410-260-1392.

Alisha Dicus
Family Support Services Coordinator
410-770-6806 office
410-819-9876 tele-office

The following services and programs are available to the Circuit Court for Talbot County

Co-Parenting Education Seminar

The Talbot County Circuit Court, in family law actions involving divorce, custody, visitation or child support, may order the parties to attend an educational seminar (MD Rule 9-204). The purpose of the seminar is to minimize the disruptive effects of separation and divorce on the lives of children.

Cooperative Co-Parenting: Currently being held online only. Contact Kristin Roemer, Program Coordinator, at 410-703-8854 for dates, times, and to register for a class. You must pre-register to attend.

UptoParents.org and Proudtoparent.org

In addition to the educational seminar, the Court may order the parties to complete web work at UptoParents.org and Proudtoparent.org. This is a website that reinforces what is taught in the seminar and aides parents in focusing on their children during this time of transition. UptoParents.org is geared towards divorcing and separated couples while ProudtoParent.org is for never married couples that are working out custody and visitation.

Supervised Parent-Child Time

The Circuit Court for Talbot County, in collaboration with Caroline County, holds their supervised Parent-Child Time program at Futures for Families, 9466 Pintail Drive, Suite 10, Easton, MD 21601.

Supervised access takes place when the court determines a needed for guided contact with one of the parents, or it is necessary to establish or reestablish a parent/child relationship.

Hours of Parent-Child Time

Every Tuesday 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Every Wednesday 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Alternate Sundays 1:00-3:00 p.m. & 3:00-5:00 p.m.

A court order must be entered to utilize Parent-Child Time.

Both parents must contact the Futures for Families Center and complete an intake before visits may occur.

Intake Fees $25.00 per parent (one time fee)
Visits $30.00 per visit (paid by the visiting parent)

To contact Parent-Child Time, call Brenda Ramage, Program Director, at 410-924-1032. Calls will be returned only during the hours the center is opened for business.

Pro Se Litigants Family Law Program

Dedicated family law attorneys selected by the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service offer legal advice about domestic issues involving divorce, custody, visitation, guardianship and child support to income eligible parties.

Hours:

Every Monday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. by appointment only

Appointments are by telephone only. Call 410-770-6806 to schedule your appointment.

If you are unable to attend a clinic you may also contact:
Family Law Assistance Hotline at 410-260-1392
or visit www.peoples-law.org

Custody/Visitation Mediation Program

When the Court determines that custody/visitation is an issue in a case, the parties can be ordered to attend mediation with a court appointed mediator. Parties are ordered to attend two, 2-hour sessions, with the assigned mediator. If an agreement is reached, the mediator will draft a parenting plan which is forwarded to the parties and their attorneys.

Mediation fees are $100.00 per hour, per person, for the 4 hours of court-ordered mediation. See the list of court-approved mediators or call 410-770-6806.

Family Services Fee Waivers

If you are ordered to services by the court, and you are not able to pay, you may ask the court to waive those fees. To obtain a Request for Family Services Fee Waiver you may go to the Clerk of the Court, located in the Talbot County Circuit Court Building’s North Wing or by contacting the Family Services Coordinator at 410-770-6806.

If you would like to settle your case OUTSIDE of court, you can contact Mid-Shore Pro Bono. To learn more about the services offered, see the Mid-Shore Pro Bono website.