The CDR is one of organizations and individuals supporting efforts in Greene County to develop a Dependency Mediation Program within the Family Court system.

Dependency mediation, also known as child protection mediation, is a process in which a neutral facilitator assists with constructive communication and negotiation among parents, lawyers, child protection professionals, and others to reach a consensus to resolve issues of concern when children are alleged to have been abused, neglected, or abandoned.

Research on the use of dependency mediation in child protection cases has found several exciting outcomes:

• written agreements are reached at a higher rate
• family compliance with written agreements occurs at a higher rate
• the majority of mediation participants evaluate the experience positively, which leads to higher satisfaction rates with the court generally
• stakeholders tend to evaluate the experience positively
• permanency outcomes for mediated cases tend to be better than for non-mediated cases
• cost savings can result from court time savings and from the use of program volunteers

CDR support for this program has included Dr. Char Berquist’s service on the advisory committee for the program, CDR staff serving as mediators for selected cases, and training and program development support. It is anticipated this program will continue to expand this fall.