GUEST EDITORS’ NOTES

We are delighted to bring you this special volume of Family Court Review (FCR). In 1997, FCR published the first special volume focused on child welfare mediation. At the time it was a relatively new field gaining ground in a number of states and provinces. Since then mediation and other alternatives to traditional and adversarial child welfare proceedings have been emerging and evolving across the United States, Canada, and the world. In this follow-up to the first special volume, the articles trace the history of the development of mediation and family group decision-making programs in the child welfare arena. The authors examine how far mediation and other alternative processes have come and where they may go in the future. The impetus for this volume stems from a two-year effort to distill the lessons learned by child welfare mediation programs from across North America. During the summer of 2007, child welfare mediation programs were surveyed and follow-up interviews were conducted with agency personnel, researchers, and court staff. The results were summarized in a report that was used to inform and energize two Think Tanks on Child Protection Decision Making in September 2007 and May 2008. Summaries of the survey results and the two Think Tanks can be found on the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts' Web site. Many of the issues discussed in this volume reflect concerns and insights that emerged from this process. The articles in this volume range from reflections and research on child welfare mediation in general to concerns and successes in individual programs. There are examples of programs that have succeeded and failed, as well as advice on creating, developing, and reinvigorating programs. Several articles show how the alternative theories and practices have evolved over time. We are honored to have contributions from talented authors who have left their mark through program development, research, and consulting or who have worked with and for families in juvenile court and agencies for years. The first article is written by one of the co-editors and an early developer of the child welfare mediation movement. Bernie Mayer writes about how consensus approaches to child protection decision making have become increasingly widespread since they were first initiated over twenty-five years ago. This article is a reflection on the paradoxes that have grown as mediation programs have evolved. While some programs have grown and thrived, others have been forced to cut back …