SUMMARY
This fall, Tina worked with Iowa Center for Children’s Justice to develop 4 surveys for program evaluation purposes. The goal of these surveys was to evaluate the effectiveness of representation, mediation, and judge satisfaction to elevate children’s views in custody matters and promote child-focused solutions.
OVERVIEW
Met with representatives from ICCJ to conduct a needs assessment
Reviewed previously used survey tools to examine domains and response styles
Researched best practices on creating surveys for child respondents as well as on divorce mediation and child-focused mediation
Researched Judicial views of child representation and mediation
Created surveys (1) for use in mediation cases, (2) a satisfaction survey for judges involved in these cases, (3) to assess client satisfaction with the representation and mediation processes, and (4) a universal demographic survey
IMPACT
In 2020, ICCJ served 210 children through representation, mediation, and workshops. These numbers are projected to increase in the coming year. In a normal year, all children aged 6-16 whose parents are going through divorce in Polk County are required to attend these workshops
Articles written by Tina
Tina reflects on 2020 and the challenges of an uncertain future.