Over the last several years in child welfare, it has become evident that there is a growing need for empirically-based research and evaluation focused on systems’ change and reform efforts underway in child protection courts. With the current funding climate and the national focus on outcomes and impact of systems’ change on children and families, the need for research has become even more critical. As a result, PPCD has built the capacity to provide research and evaluation technical assistance for juvenile and family courts across the nation. 

These evaluations have resulted in the publication of Technical Assistance Briefs and Bulletins which present findings on the efficacies and challenges of various court improvements, (e.g. second shelter hearings, family decision-making conferences, and mediation programs), as well as judicial benchcards and checklists to utilize at court hearings.

Please see the publications page for more information about specific research topics or visit the Resource and Reference Lists for listings of organizations and materials that focus on child abuse and neglect issues.

Please see the following Snapshots of current Research Projects:

Judicial Workload in Washington State

The CCC Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Study

Creating Judicial-Academic Partnerships: An Efficient Way to Leverage Resources for Evaluation

Assessing Efficiency and Workload Implications of the King County Mediation Pilot Project

Process Evaluation of the King County Parent to Parent Program

Effects of Parental and Attorney Involvement on Reunification in Juvenile Dependency Cases

Some of the newest, and most popular, publications are:

CCC Benchcard Study Report, click HERE for more information on the publication.

Disproportionality Rates for Children of Color in Foster Care (May 2011) Click HERE to download.

Technical Assistance Bulletin, Right from the Start: The CCC Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard, A Tool for Judicial Decision-Making, click HERE for more information on the publication.

Technical Assistance Brief, Creating Judicial - Academic Partnerships: An Efficient Way to Leverage Resources for Evaluation

Technical Assistance Brief, A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence, click HERE for more information and to download the publication.