| NCJ Number: |
194265   |
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| Title: |
Essex County Child Welfare Mediation Program: Evaluation Results and Recommendations |
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| Document: |
PDF |
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| Author(s): |
Shirley A. Dobbin Ph.D.; Sophia I. Gatowski Ph.D.; Melissa Litchfield |
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| Date Published: |
December 2001 |
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| Annotation: |
This evaluation examined the nature and functions of the Essex
County Child Welfare Mediation Program (New Jersey), whose goal
is to develop a plan in cases of child abuse and neglect which
all the parties agree is safe and in the best interests of the
child and is safe for all the involved adults.
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| Abstract: |
Child welfare mediation is a confidential process in which a
specifically trained neutral third party, who has no
authoritative decision-making power, assists the family, social
worker, attorneys, and other interested parties in a case to talk
out and develop their own mutually acceptable agreements with
respect to issues relevant to an abuse and neglect case before
the court. The Essex County Child Welfare Mediation Program
(CWMP) began taking cases in January 2000. This interim
evaluation was based on the 129 mediations completed in calendar
year 2000. The evaluation reviewed written program policies and
protocols; and ongoing informal communication was maintained
between the evaluators and court and program staff throughout the
development and implementation of the CWMP. An Excel-based
spreadsheet tracked case-related information. Exit surveys were
developed to determine participant satisfaction with the
mediation process. Overall, the CWMP was apparently meeting, and
in some cases surpassing, its operational and process goals.
Successful achievement of operational and process goals suggests that over time, the program will achieve its overall goals related to the development of more family-specific case plans,
increased parental compliance, reduction in the use of contested
cases, more effective use of judicial and court time, and,
ultimately, the achievement of timely permanency for children.
Recommendations are offered for improvements that can assist in
achieving each program goal, and recommendations are offered for
subsequent program evaluations. 13 tables, 37 figures, and
appended evaluation instruments
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| Main Term(s): |
Alternative court procedures |
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| Index Term(s): |
Alternative dispute settlement; Child abuse; Child abuse and neglect hearings; Child abuse prevention; Child abuse situation remedies; Mediation; New Jersey |
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| Grant Number: |
96-CT-NX-0001 |
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| Sponsoring Agency: |
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Reno, NV 89507
NCJRS Photocopy Services
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
Washington, DC 20531 |
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| Corporate Author: |
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
United States of America |
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| Sale Source: |
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
P.O. Box 8970
Reno, NV 89507
United States of America
NCJRS Photocopy Services
Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849-6000
United States of America |
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| Page Count: |
85 |
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| Format: |
Document |
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| Type: |
Program/Project Evaluation |
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| Language: |
English |
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| Country: |
United States of America |
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| Note: |
Technical Assistance Bulletin, N 5, V 4, December 2001 |
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To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=194265 |
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