Infant Toddler Court Teams,Reunification,Time to Permanency,and Placement Stability: Evidence From a Study Using Matched Controls

Abstract

Children under age three represent a disproportionate share of foster care entries, yet evidence-based interventions for this population remain limited. This study examined the impact of an infant-toddler court program in Wayne County, Michigan comparing outcomes for 60 cases assigned to the specialized docket with 240 matched controls receiving services as usual. Using propensity score matching and Fine-Gray competing risks regression, we found that infant-toddler court cases had double the likelihood of achieving reunification compared to matched controls (subdistribution hazard ratio = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.45-2.88). No significant differences were detected in time to permanency or placement stability. Results were observed in a jurisdiction predominantly serving Black families, with high rates of kinship placement, demonstrating the effectiveness of specialized courts in supporting family preservation in similar settings. Findings suggest that broader implementation of infant-toddler courts could substantially improve reunification outcomes for young children in the child welfare system.