The courts serve the citizens of North Carolina and should be the last resort for resolving disputes. A number of new programs designed to help individuals, families, and most importantly, our children can be described broadly as therapeutic justice. This simply means that litigants and those close to them normally spend more time receiving counseling and related services and less time in the courtroom.

The Guardian ad Litem program trains community volunteers who are appointed by a district court judge to investigate and determine the needs of abused and neglected children petitioned into the court system by the Department of Social Services.