Findings of the Utah Court Improvement Evaluation

This article reports the findings of the Utah Court Improvement Evaluation, a statewide evaluation of court improvement and Model Court reform efforts throughout the state of Utah. Through case file reviews, stakeholder interviews, court observations and analysis of data generated by the court automated management information system, the evaluation found that although compliance rates have been relatively consistent over the last few years, compliance rates have increased over the past year. The article concludes: ‘The results of this evaluation empirically demonstrate that the Utah Juvenile Court is grounded in best practices for child abuse and neglect cases. Throughout the state… it is clear that the juvenile court and child welfare system is dedicated to the children and families it serves. While there are certainly many challenges facing the system and room for improvement, overall the Utah Juvenile Court is generally compliant with statutorily and federal mandated time frames, following the best practice recommendations of the resource guidelines, and holding itself, the child welfare agency, and the broader community accountable for achieving safe, timely permanency for children.’

Download Publication