Housed in a centrally located family court center, the NCJFCJ proposes that the unified family court be the equal of the highest trial court of general jurisdiction and be staffed by specialist judges and other professionals. The court should manage an array of family cases, including juvenile delinquency, dependency, status offenses, paternity, custody, support, mental health, adoption, family violence, and marital dissolution. Further, the court should serve as the center for coordinating and providing services to children and families in the community and should provide intake, evaluation, and referral to various public and private services. The court should also offer alternative methods of diverting cases through counseling, mediation, and other nonadversarial means. Judges should ensure that children and families receive due process and should be committed to principles of treatment, rehabilitation, family preservation, and community protection. In addition, judges should promote effective working relationships among courts, legislative and executive branches of government, schools, social services, and law enforcement agencies. The need for adequate resources to offer family preservation, health, mental health, educational, and advocacy services and to provide residential and day treatment and secure detention is stressed.