National Study of Family Treatment Court Best Practices, Outcomes, and Costs, [United States], 1993-2022

The National Study of Family Treatment Court Best Practices, Outcomes, and Costs (also known as the National Study of Family Treatment Courts (NEFTC)) sought to study the extent to which family treatment courts (FTC) follow best practices, who benefits from FTCs, how much FTCs meet the needs of the communities they serve, and the cost-efficiencies of these programs. The NEFTC includes two study components: the Best Practice Study (BPS) and Outcome and Cost Study (OCS). The BPS examined the policies and practices of FTCs, assessed the extent to which policies and procedures of FTCs are aligned with current best practice standards, described the characteristics of FTCs, their eligibility requirements, and estimated the number and characteristics of families served by FTCs across the country. The OCS reviewed the implementation of four focus sites (California, Georgia, New York, and Texas) reflecting the diversity of FTCs across the country, and incorporates child, parent, and family outcomes related to repeat child maltreatment events (i.e., child welfare recidivism) and removals from the home. The BPS unit of analysis are FTCs from a subset of U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. The OCS unit of analysis are individuals and families participating in FTCs from the four states listed. BPS variables include date FTC was implemented, whether specific FTC practices are followed, and the demographics (age, race, and sex) of participants. OCS variables include indexes of child welfare events, counts of adult and children FTC participants, FTC milestones, and demographics including age, race, and gender.