The Child Welfare Reasonable Efforts Findings Study (REFS): Understanding the Study Design

Judges play a critical role in making reasonable efforts decisions in child welfare cases, yet there is limited research on how they make these decisions or how those decisions relate to case outcomes. This study seeks to fill that gap by examining judges’ reasonable efforts decision-making at the initial hearing of a child welfare case. The researchers will examine several factors that may influence judges’ reasonable efforts decisions, such as pre- and between hearing communication, hearing quality, case characteristics, and timing and frequency of review hearings.

Join the ABA Center on Children and the Law for this webinar, to learn:

• Why this study is important for the legal community
• Four primary research questions the study will explore
• Study sample, methodology, and data collection approaches
• How the study will inform the child welfare field
• Practical readings and resources related to this study to deepen knowledge

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