D.C. Code § 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.