The Impact of Child-Parent Psychotherapy on Child Dependency Court Outcomes

Although parental compliance with court orders in child welfare cases is key to achieving physical parent-child reunification and successful case closure, little research has examined how parent-child relationship-focused rehabilitative services uniquely influence case outcomes. This project fills this gap by investigating links between court ordering of and parental participation in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) with court outcomes. Data were obtained from court records of 448 court-involved parents. Hierarchical regressions revealed that greater participation in CPP led to reunification and successful case closure but not faster case closure. Courtroom professionals should consider parent-child relationship-based therapies as tools for achieving child welfare goals.