§ 16–2312a. Evaluation of family team meetings and 72-hour time period for commencement of shelter care hearing.

At intervals no later than 6 months, 18 months, and 30 months after [April 12, 2005], the Agency shall commission an independent process and impact evaluation of the family team meetings authorized in section 16-2312(a-1) and the 72-hour period authorized in section 16-2312(a)(1) . Each evaluation shall, at a minimum, assess the following processes and outcomes of the family team meetings:

(1) Rates of participation in the meetings for different types of participants, including parents, children, and relatives;

(2) Demographic information about children and families who participated in the meetings;

(3) The percentage of meetings resulting in approved safety plans;

(4) The supports and services included in approved safety plans;

(5) The extent to which supports and services included in approved safety plans actually were provided;

(6) The percentage of meetings that resulted in the filing of a petition in the Family Court to remove a child from the home, and the percentage of meetings that resulted in a decision not to file a petition in Family Court;

(7) The placement outcomes for children who were the subject of the meetings, including:

(A) The percentage of children living with parents;

(B) The percentage of children living with relatives;

(C) The percentage of children who have been adopted;

(D) The percentage of children living in foster care; and

(E) Other applicable placements;

(8) The percentage of children who received a permanent placement and whose cases were closed;

(9) The percentage of children who were the subject of subsequent reports to the Agency’s abuse and neglect reporting line; and

(10) The effect of the 72-hour time frame for the commencement of a Family Court hearing on families’ legal protections and due-process rights.