Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) is an international association of family courts, established in 1963, to improve court services to couples and their children. In addition to evaluating and improving court-based services, the association seeks to "provide an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and the development of solutions to problems of family discord" (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts 1996, 1). This goal reflects the association's recognition that family disputes have an emotional impact that cannot be completely resolved through any court process. Thus, the association encourages judges and lawyers to get together with counselors, mediators, and other professionals who work with families to establish programs to help them resolve their disputes in a variety of ways, including mediation and conflict prevention.

The association's membership includes over 1,600 courts, judges, lawyers, mediators, custody evaluators, and mental health professionals from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, and other countries.
In addition to producing a journal, the Family and Conciliation Courts Review, it has produced a wide variety of informational material for couples and families. One brochure called "Parents Are Forever" is a widely used source of information about divorce for parents, discussing issues such as custody and visitation. Other publications and videos address a wide variety of family problems, including abuse, conflict management, and parenting.