Objectives: The purpose of this study is to test mediation versus a traditional court process for the establishment or modification of child support orders. The intention is to determine which dispute resolution process is associated with greater client satisfaction and compliance. An auxiliary objective is to test the type of cases which are most successfully mediated. Results: The analyses suggest that client satisfaction is greater with mediation, but there is no corresponding increase in compliance. Regarding the type of cases where mediation was most fruitful, the research finds that voluntary mediation and mediator experience are both positively associated with more successful mediation. Conclusions: There is no evidence that mediation will necessarily lead to increased compliance with child support orders.
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