An evaluation of Montana's child welfare court pre-hearing conference pilot project

Pre-hearing conferences are a form of alternative dispute resolution that have been implemented into the child welfare court process. Montana recently piloted a pre-hearing conference model to occur before the first hearing on the case. The goal of the pilot was to increase discussion and resolution of contested visitation, placement, and service issues and to better engage parents in the process. Data were collected across multiple years to explore the effectiveness of the pilot in improving outcomes for children and families. Analysis of the data revealed a positive relationship between program implementation and timelier permanency. Parents who attend and have higher levels of participation in the pre-hearing conference are also more likely to reunify.