Do specialty courts achieve better outcomes for children in foster care than general courts?

Sloan, Frank A

Gifford, Elizabeth J

Eldred, Lindsey M

Acquah, Kofi F

Blevins, Claire E

United States

2016-09-28T22:19:41Z

2013-02

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effects of unified family and drug treatment courts (DTCs) on the resolution of cases involving foster care children and the resulting effects on school performance. METHOD: The first analytic step was to assess the impacts of presence of unified and DTCs in North Carolina counties on time children spent in foster care and the type of placement at exit from foster care. In the second step, the same data on foster care placements were merged with school records for youth in Grades 3-8 in public schools. The effect of children's time in foster care and placement outcomes on school performance as measured by math and reading tests, grade retention, and attendance was assessed using child fixed-effects regression. RESULTS: Children in counties with unified family courts experienced shorter foster care spells and higher rates of reunification with parents or primary caregivers. Shorter foster care spells translated into improved school performance measured by end-of-grade reading and math test scores. Adult DTCs were associated with lower probability of reunification with parents/primary caregivers. CONCLUSION: The shortened time in foster care implies an efficiency gain attributable to unified family courts, which translate into savings for the court system through the use of fewer resources. Children also benefit through shortened stays in temporary placements, which are related to some improved educational outcomes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23737613

0193841X13487536

1552-3926

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/12807

eng

SAGE Publications

Eval Rev

10.1177/0193841X13487536

child welfare

crime and justice (adult and juvenile)

education

Adolescent

Adult

Child

Child Custody

Child Welfare

Child of Impaired Parents

Educational Status

Efficiency, Organizational

Family

Female

Foster Home Care

Humans

Juvenile Delinquency

Longitudinal Studies

Male

North Carolina

Poverty

Regression Analysis

Substance Abuse Treatment Centers

Time Factors

Do specialty courts achieve better outcomes for children in foster care than general courts?

Journal article

Gifford, Elizabeth J|0000-0002-1488-0286

Eldred, Lindsey M|0000-0002-5785-0423

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23737613

3

34

1

Center for Child and Family Policy

Center for Population Health & Aging

Duke

Duke Population Research Center

Duke Population Research Institute

Economics

Global Health Institute

Institute of Public Policy

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

Public Policy Studies

Sanford School of Public Policy

School of Nursing

School of Nursing - Secondary Group

Staff

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

University Institutes and Centers

Published

37