Tools for Honolulu Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Honolulu families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

Custody cases in Honolulu move through the Family Court of the First Circuit, and many of the parents in them handle at least part of the case without a lawyer. For guardians ad litem, family therapists, and mediators, that usually means sorting fact from feeling before any real work can start. This page shows what the parents you work with can use on FamilyCourtHelp.com to come to you organized.

Area covered: Honolulu County.

Court for custody cases: Family Court of the First Circuit (Ronald T.Y. Moon Kapolei Courthouse).

Appointed for the child: Guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge.

State family law: Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 580 - Annulment, Divorce, and Separation.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For guardians ad litem in Honolulu

In Hawaii, the court can appoint a guardian ad litem in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

The parents decide what you see. One of them can add you to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link, and once you accept with a free account you can read the thread, post in it, and follow schedule requests on the shared calendar. A shared parenting plan opens to you for reading and comments.

For therapists and counselors in Honolulu

For court-involved therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Honolulu, the site stays on the parents' side of the line: there is no therapist seat and no access to a family's account. What it changes is what walks into the room. Parents write to each other in one time-stamped thread, and the Tone Meter in the free messenger offers a calmer version of a message before it goes out.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Honolulu

In Hawaii, custody mediation is often ordered by the judge. The details are in the FAQ below.

A parent can invite you into the co-parent conversation with a single-use link and share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on, so you see the draft and the open issues before the first session in Honolulu. Between sessions, agreements stay in writing in the one thread, and schedule changes go through the shared calendar as requests the other parent approves or declines.

Family court programs in Honolulu

Custody cases in Honolulu are heard in the Family Court of the First Circuit. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Kids First, First Circuit Family Court: The First Circuit Family Court requires both parents in divorce cases with children, and in contested custody cases, to attend Kids First unless a judge excuses them. Children ages 6 to 17 in the household also attend sessions grouped by age.

If you searched for a guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Honolulu, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Honolulu: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Honolulu: Kapolei Family Court Access to Justice Room, (808) 954-8290. Volunteer attorneys give free legal information to parents without a lawyer in Oahu family court cases.

Honolulu legal aid: Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, (800) 499-4302.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Honolulu?

Family Court cases for Oahu are handled by the Family Court of the First Circuit, at the Ronald T.Y. Moon Kapolei Courthouse in Kapolei.

Where can parents in Honolulu get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Kapolei Family Court Access to Justice Room. Free legal aid: Legal Aid Society of Hawaii. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Honolulu?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does a guardian ad litem do in a Honolulu custody case?

A Hawaii family court may appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the child's interests in a custody case. The court can also direct a child custody evaluator to investigate and write a report that the parents and their lawyers see before the hearing. You may also see "GAL" and "child custody evaluator". The rule is in Haw. Rev. Stat. 571-46. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Hawaii?

Hawaii's Judiciary says the Family Court supports and encourages mediation in divorce cases and routinely orders it when parents disagree on an issue. When family violence is alleged, the law limits this: a parent protected by a protective order cannot be required to mediate against their wishes.