Judge Bononi honored for creation of program that helps keep families together

In her Westmoreland County courtroom Tuesday morning, Judge Michele Bononi saw firsthand a positive result from a program she started to help reunite families.

A person involved in a child custody case was allowed to progress from supervised to unsupervised visits, a direct benefit from the program that makes the services of professional custody supervisors free for those who meet income guidelines.

“It is working right here,” she said.

Bononi was recognized Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Association of Court Management’s Innovation Award for leading the creation of the program that eliminates financial barriers for some people working through Family Court to regain custody of a child.

A judge in Family Court can order a person seeking custody to have supervised visits with a child, which requires services from a limited pool of professional custody supervisors. Those services can typically cost between $50 and $100 per hour, court officials said.

“The money that professional custody supervisors charge for supervision is typically outside the range of what many involved in custody litigation can afford,” said Amy Mears DeMatt, court administrator.

Kayden’s Law, enacted last year, requires judges to look closer at custody cases where there have been allegations of violence or abuse before deciding to grant unsupervised visits.

“It scared me to death when I was at one of my Supreme Court meetings and I heard about Kayden’s Law. I was like, how are we going to handle this?” Bononi said. “We don’t have the resources to handle this. And we saw too many people without any money not being able to see their kids.”

She enlisted help from several county agencies, including the Department of Human Services, court staff, probation officers and park police.

With a $73,900 grant through Human Services, the program was born. Retired juvenile probation officers were trained through the Blackburn Center. They’re paid an hourly wage to supervise custody visits for families that meet income guidelines.

The hourlong visits take place at the courthouse.

Family Court administrator Jamie Kemp said about 20 people are in the program.

Eight participants have been able to move to less restrictive periods of partial physical custody.

“Typically, if somebody is in that position where they are trying to rebuild their lives … they don’t have the resources for (professional custody supervisors),” Kemp said.

It was an issue judges noticed even before Kayden’s Law, Bononi said.

“There wasn’t a thing that the judges could do, and that bothered all of us,” she said.

Teamwork throughout the courthouse and beyond helped get the program started in November in an effort to make a difference in the lives of children and families.

“This award is not only for me, but it’s for the whole team,” Bononi said.