NCJ Number
209954
Date Published
April 2005
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of an evaluation of case outcomes for child abuse and neglect cases of the Washington, DC, Family Court Child Protection Mediation Program.
Abstract
Studies of child welfare mediation have demonstrated positive results in resolving permanency in child welfare cases that typically involve conflicts between and among various combinations of individuals, such as birth parents and the child welfare agency and birth parents and extended family members. Mediation provides a non-adversarial approach to permanency resolution, offering parents and family members the opportunity to collaborate in permanency planning. This report, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention describes an evaluation of the District of Columbia’s Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), Mediation Pilot Program funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. This program evaluation examined case outcomes for a group of child abuse and neglect cases that were randomly assigned to mediation (research group) and a comparison group of cases (control group) that were handled via the traditional hearing process and did not receive mediation. The outcomes of cases were compared to cases that did not receive mediation. Cases in both groups were tracked for 24 months. The overall findings of the ASFA Pilot Mediation Program promote timely resolution of cases consistent with ASFA mandates. Case processing timeframes were positively impacted by the mediation process, with cases randomly assigned to mediation reaching adjudication, disposition, and permanency more quickly than control group cases processed without the benefit of mediation. Mediation seems to facilitate more long-term permanency with lower reentry into care rates. Specifically, ASFA mediation facilitates better service provision and more detailed service plans. References and appendix