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Child Protection Mediation: An Evaluation of Services Provided by Cook County Juvenile Court

Shack, Jennifer. Jan. 1, 2010

Download CPD Study

Description of Study: Examination of process and outcomes of a single site program, including participant experience and stakeholder views of the program.

Method: Examined mediator reports. Questionnaires provided to all participants at the end of the mediation. Interviews conducted of sample of all stakeholder groups (judges, attorneys, child welfare workers, family members).

Comparative: No

Variables Examined: Participant experience with the mediation, settlement rates

Program Variables: Court-ordered program that in practice allowed for opt-out. 2/3 of cases were mediated between adjudication and termination of parental rights. 53% of mediations were referred by judges; 15% by the child’s attorney. Average time in mediation was 2 hours 14 minutes. Mediators were county staff with at least 40 hours of mediation training, and mediations were conducted in the same building as the courtrooms. Program was 3 years old at the time of the study.

Case types: Child Protection and Dependency

Findings: Full or partial agreement was reached in 74% of cases. Settlement was most likely for issues of services, visitation and communication. 1/3 of professionals believed that participating in mediation would reduce their time spent on the case; 50% said it would have no effect. 75% of professionals said that mediation would help the case move forward.

86% of family members were satisfied with how the mediation was handled. 93% of professionals who participated in mediation and responded to the questionnaire were satisfied with how the mediation was handled. 87% of family members believed they had more chance to express their point of view than in other forums. 92% felt they had an equal chance to talk. 95% and 83% felt they were treated with respect by mediators and others at the mediation, respectively. 99% and 94% of professionals, respectively, felt the mediators and others treated them with respect. 

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