Evaluating Parents in Child Protection Decisions: An Innovative Court-Based Clinic Model

Providing relevant, timely forensic evaluations is challenging because of the differing worlds of mental health and law. In this study, the authors evaluated an innovative, court-based clinic model for improving acquisition and use of clinical information in juvenile court in a 3-year pilot project prior to wide-scale implementation. The authors investigated the extent to which 170 evaluations of parents in the child protection division met criteria recommended in the forensic literature by comparing reports across four groups categorized by source (inside or outside court; part of pilot project or not). Findings suggested greater use of recommended practices and more timely, consistent reports by the pilot clinic. The findings provide preliminary support for the model and guidance for improving forensic evaluations in child protection