KRS 23A.110: Additional jurisdiction of family court to be construed to promote

underlying purposes.

The additional jurisdiction of a family court division of Circuit Court shall be liberally

construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes, which are as follows:

(1) To strengthen and preserve the integrity of the family and safeguard marital and

familial relationships;

(2) To protect children and adult family members from domestic violence and abuse;

(3) To promote the amicable settlement of disputes that have arisen between family

members;

(4) To assure an adequate remedy for children adjudged to be dependent, abused, or

neglected, and for those children adjudicated as status offenders;

(5) To mitigate the potential harm to the spouses and their children c aused by the

process of legal dissolution of marriage;

(6) To make adequate provision for the care, custody, and support of minor children of

divorce and for those children who have been born out of wedlock; and

(7) To provide a level of proceedings, when necessary, that is more appropriate to a

family court division of Circuit Court.