This interim evaluation is based upon 129 child protection mediations completed during 2000. It focuses on operational goals and the experience of the family and professionals in the mediation process. The study found that the program surpassed its goal for number of referrals by more than 100%, that the scheduling of mediation was taking 10-15 days longer than the court planned, that most participants felt prepared for the mediation, and that almost 1/4 of all parents said someone was missing that they would have liked to have been there.

To track participant experience, the evaluators created survey instruments to distribute at the end of the mediation session. The survey responses indicated that the majority of parents felt valued and important during the mediation, that the majority of the parents felt part of the problem-solving process, and that all participants felt they had the chance to tell their views. Additionally, 35% of participants indicated that mediation resolved all of the issues at hand, and another 56% stated that some issues were resolved.