Superior Court of California, Santa Barbara County
homegeneral informationspecial programsjury informationhuman resourcessite map
FAMILY SERVICES: HELP IN FAMILY LAW CASES

FAMILY SERVICES is a department of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. It has offices in North and South County. There are 2 different programs in each office that can provide limited assistance to you in family law: (1) Family Court Services, and (2) the Office of the Family Law Facilitator.

Family Court Services

Family Court Services provides mediation for separated or divorced parents involved in disputes over custody and visitation of children in cases where the Santa Barbara County Superior Court has jurisdiction.

  • Mediation is required in California whenever a dispute regarding custody or visitation is presented to the court.
  • Mediation is confidential, and the mediator will not make recommendations to the court.
  • MEDIATION IS FREE.
  • To schedule Family Custody Mediation, or to obtain more information regarding the specifics of how these services are offered in North and South County contact:
    • SOUTH COUNTY: the Family Services Assistant at (805) 882-4667
    • NORTH COUNTY: (805) 614-6429 More information can be found here

The Office of the Family Law Facilitator

The Office of the Family Law Facilitator helps you to better represent yourself in family law matters. The office is staffed by attorneys who can help you with child support, spousal support, health insurance, custody/visitation and related matters in divorce, separation, nullity, parentage and domestic violence cases. You can also receive help in filing for divorce, legal separation, nullity or a parentage judgment. The Office of the Family Law Facilitator can help you in responding to an application for a domestic violence restraining order, but will refer you to the Legal Resource Center or the Legal Aid Foundation, Inc. if you want to apply for a domestic violence restraining order.

Go to the top of the page

HOW TO FIND FAMILY COURT SERVICES:
Family Court Services has offices in north and south county.

Santa Barbara (South County):
The Santa Barbara office, which serves the Anacapa Division of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, is located on the first floor of the historic courthouse:

1100 Anacapa Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Mediation 882-4667
Family Law Facilitator   882-4660
From Highway 101, take the Carrillo Street exit. If you are traveling south on 101, turn left on Carrillo. If you are traveling north on 101, turn right on Carrillo. Proceed 4 blocks until you reach Chapala Street, then turn left. At the next signal, Figueroa Street, turn right. Travel 2 blocks until you see a parking structure on your left side. Park your car there. The first 75 minutes are free; each hour or fraction of an hour thereafter costs $1.50. The courthouse is across the street at the corner of Anacapa and Figueroa.

Santa Maria (North County):
The Santa Maria office, which serves the Cook and Lompoc Divisions of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, is located at:

312 E. Cook St.
New Clerks’ Office Bldg., 2nd Fl.
Santa Maria, CA 93454
SM Mediation 614-6429
SM Family Law Facilitator   614-6442

Campus Map here

Traveling north or south from Highway 101, take the Main Street/Guadalupe exit. If you are traveling north on 101, turn left onto Main Street. If you are traveling south on 101, turn right onto Main Street. Go 3 signals until you reach Miller Street. Turn left onto Miller Street and take the first entrance into the Santa Maria Town Center Mall. At the stop sign, Sears will be directly in front of you. Make a sharp turn to the left and park in the underground parking structure and take the stairs to level 2 of the parking structure. Family Court Services will be in front of you in Suite 208.

Go to the top of the page

SERVICE HOURS:

Santa Barbara (South County):

A receptionist is available at Family Court Services Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

A FREE children’s waiting room located at 118 East Figueroa Street, on the First Floor is available to accommodate children between the ages of 2 ½ to twelve years old whose parent or guardian have court hearings and court business to attend. The service is provided free of charge and is funded from mandated civil filing fees.

FAMILY COURT SERVICES: Custody and visitation mediation is conducted by appointment only. Call (805) 882-4667 to schedule your mediation appointment and for further information.

FAMILY LAW FACILITATOR: Help is available on a walk-in basis. Customers who live out-of-county may call to get a phone appointment. Couples who want to schedule a child support and/or spousal support mediation appointment may call to make an office appointment. No other appointments are available. Please call (805) 882-4660 for further information or click here. (En español)

Santa Maria (North County):

A receptionist is available at Family Court Services Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

FAMILY COURT SERVICES: Custody and visitation mediation with Family Mediation is conducted by appointment only. Call (805) 614-6429 to schedule your mediation appointment and for further information.

FAMILY LAW FACILITATOR: Help is available on Monday and Tuesday in Santa Maria by appointment only at:

312 E. Cook St., Ste. 240
Santa Maria, CA 93454

  • MONDAYS: the Facilitator sees Spanish-speaking customers with the assistance of an interpreter.
  • TUESDAYS: the Facilitator sees English-speaking customers. Call the Family Law Facilitator’s Office in North County at 805-614-6442 to schedule your appointment. These are NOT same-day appointments.
  • WEDNESDAYS: The Facilitator holds classes on Wednesday afternoons on how to prepare the papers to complete a divorce or paternity matter or to get a hearing regarding custody, visitation or support matters.

LOMPOC:

On Fridays, the Facilitator is available by appointment only at the Lompoc Courthouse, located at:

115 Civic Center Plaza
Lompoc, CA 93436

Call the Family Law Facilitator’s Office in North County at 805-614-6442 to schedule your appointment.. One-hour consultations are available from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. that day. Spanish speakers must bring their own interpreters, who are at least 18 years of age and are not involved in the case being discussed. Please click here for information on the Facilitator's schedule and classes.

Go to the top of the page

SELF-HELP INTERNET RESOURCES IN FAMILY LAW:

ENGLISH (If the web site does not work, please double check your spelling)

IN-STATE RESOURCES:

  • Santa Barbara County Superior Court [www.sbcourts.org]: This is the official website for the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.  It has links to the Family Law Facilitator and other self-help resources (in English and Spanish).  It also has links to the Judicial Council court forms, special local forms, local court rules, information on filing fees and tentative rulings.
  • Family Law Help: Judicial Council of California, Center for Families, Children and the Courts [www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp-family.htm]: This website provides general and specific information on family law matters. Step-by-step written procedures for processing a case in family law are available here. The site now has “fill out online and print” Judicial Council forms. These forms will still need to be delivered in person or by mail to the Superior Court Clerk’s Office for filing. Versions of all forms that can only be printed blank (and cannot be completed online) are also available.

  • Virtual Self-Help Law Center, [ http://www.cc-courthelp.org/ ] This site is operated by the State of California, Administration of the Courts, Equal Access program. You will find information on court procedures, forms and links to other important resources.  It is an excellent place to start for the self-represented litigant, who needs to learn more about the court system.  The site offers videos on how to complete forms, step-by-step.

IN-STATE APPEAL RESOURCES
Courts of Appeal: 2nd District: Los Angeles and Ventura Court Programs

  • Free Self-Help Clinic for Indigent Civil Litigants: [http://www.courts.ca.gov/4799.htm]: This clinic can help by providing information about the many procedures, filings and deadlines appellants and respondents will encounter throughout the appeal process.  Appointments or clinic hours on a walk-in basis is offered.  Tenemos ayuda en español, pero nos tiene que notificar con tiempo. (Spanish-language assistance available with advance notice).
     
  • Online Manual for self-represented litigants who file civil appeals: [http://www.courts.ca.gov/4941.htm]: Enables self-represented litigants to better understand the judicial process and includes copies of most of the forms needed to pursue an appeal, with line-by-line instructions on how to fill them out.  You can download the entire Civil Appellate Practices and Procedures for the Self-Represented Manual or review individual chapters as provided on this link.  Chapters include: Filing the Notice of Appeal; Designating the Record; Civil Case Information Statement; Briefing the Case; Motions, Applications, Stipulations, Abandonment, and Online Case Information; Oral Argument; and What You Can Do After the Court Files Its Opinion. 
     
  • Appellate Pro Bono Pilot Project: [www.courts.ca.gov/2503.htm]:  Offers representation to indigent litigants who are without counsel which involves a screening process to identify cases with litigants who are indigent to determine if their case is eligible for assistance from volunteer counsel.  Can obtain information about Appellate Rules, procedures for self help guidelines.

OUT-OF-STATE RESOURCES:

ESPAÑOL (Si un sitio Web no trabaja, compruebe su deletreo.)

  • Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California: [http://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp.htm?rdeLocaleAttr=es]. Este sitio Web le ayudará a encontrar ayuda e información, trabajar mejor con un abogado y en algunos asuntos legales le ayudará a representarse a sí mismo.
     
  • Centro de Recursos Legales: [www.fresnosuperiorcourt.org/family/sshc_spanish.php]: La Corte Superior del Condado de Fresno, ha establecido el Centro de Recursos Legales - Spanish Self-Help Center - que a la fecha ya ha resultado ser todo un éxito. Este programa subsidiado tiene como objetivos principales proveer educación y acceso equitativo al sistema judicial para litigantes de habla hispana sin abogado. Centro de Recursos Legales le puede ayudar dándole información e instrucción en español para mostrarle como llenar las formas legales de los casos más comunes en asunto civil.
     
  • The State Bar of California: [www.calbar.org]: The State Bar of California tiene folletos seleccionadas en español que pueden servir de una guía para tomar decisiones legales. Para más información, llame el teléfono directo de la información del consumidor: 888-875-LAWS (888-875-5297). Gratis.
Revised 08/20/12

Go to the top of the page
 

Web Site Feedback

© 2000-2012 Santa Barbara County Superior Court