Process Evaluation of the Second Judicial District Court’s Dependency Mediation Program, Washoe County, Nevada

The Second Judicial District Court of Nevada in Washoe County implemented a mediation program in late 2011 to support parents and stakeholders in the child abuse and neglect court system and help resolve contested matters that may delay or inhibit timely permanency. An overarching goal of the mediation program is to reduce the time to permanency for children. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) has conducted previous research on the impacts of dependency mediation programs in the Second Judicial District Court and other selected jurisdictions in Nevada. This report focuses on satisfaction measures and related information about the mediation process in the Second Judicial District Court. A separate report presents results from the statewide dependency mediation program process evaluation. A third report presents an updated outcome evaluation of the mediation program in the Second Judicial District Court, examining a variety of performance indicators and outcome measures related to the impacts of mediation on both dependency and termination of parental rights cases.