Supporting the Nation's Judicial System & the Public it Serves
SJI Grantee Spotlights
FEATUREDNovember 1, 2024
Keeping Families Together: Preserving and Reunifying Families with Substance Use Disorder Through a Family Recovery Court – University of Texas at Arlington
The Keeping Families Together: Preserving and Reunifying Families with Substance Use Disorder (KFT) project was established to refine and test a Family Recovery Court (FRC) model for child welfare-involved families with substance use disorders. In collaboration with the Williamson County Family Recovery Court, Dr. Catherine LaBrenz and her team at the University of Texas at Arlington (Dr. Hui Huang, Dr. Philip Baiden, and Dr. Yeonwoo Kim) partnered to manualize the FRC model, assess ongoing barriers and facilitators of implementation, provide continuous quality improvement, and examine the effectiveness of the model in increasing recovery and reunification. Through interviews with key stakeholders, they identified four key pillars that differentiate the FRC from traditional courts: 1) trauma-informed and non-adversarial approach; 2) family-centeredness; 3) accountability; and 4) community connectedness.
Through a shared vision and active collaboration, the FRC providers have increased community infrastructure to support parents and ensure thriving families. This includes provider participation in bimonthly meetings, trainings, and biweekly staffing to enhance a trauma-informed community approach to work with child welfare-involved families. Since the start of this project in 2023, 20 parents have been accepted into the program: of these, six have graduated, four had their cases transferred or were expelled, and the remaining 10 are currently in the program.
“I was offered recovery court after multiple CPS cases. I just wasn’t ready to get clean and I actually ended up going to rehab on my own. They offered me family recovery court afterwards and that was probably the family recovery court saved my life. I don’t think that I would have succeeded without it. Just going to rehab alone, probably would not have done it for me. I will be two years clean in November and that’s thanks to all the support with family recovery court, the accountability that they [have], they hold you accountable. You know, you have to go to court dates and see coaches and therapists and all those things combined. Without it, I wouldn’t’ have been able to be here today, I don’t think.”
-Parent Graduate
“I definitely see us involving more community partners, which is exciting. As we meet new families, we start identifying things we don’t know how to handle, or we are able to better identify the need outside of the recovery piece.”
The Assessment Center Outcome and Reporting Network (ACORN) initiative was established to create a more consistent performance and outcome measures for Assessment Centers (AC) nationwide. The National Assessment Center Association (NAC) in collaboration with the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) and Dr. Jeff Kretschmar, worked to support a cohort of six ACs (listed below) …
Many people who become involved in the criminal legal system experience behavioral health and social service-related needs that remain unmet throughout their system involvement. These unmet needs can result in people cycling through the system, taking a toll on their well-being and placing a burden on the system. In recognition of this challenge, jurisdictions across …
The Trauma-Informed Practice Strategy Lab (TIPS Lab) was born out of the need to address the trauma of people involved in criminal courts—an urgent need shown by statistics on the prevalence of violence and victimization in the United States. The Center for Justice Innovation is leading the development of the TIPS Lab, which includes a …
In 2011, Utah became the first state to embed the concept of proportionality into its rules governing discovery in civil cases. Utah Rule 26 created three tiers based on the amount-in-controversy at stake with tight deadlines and significant restrictions on the scope of allowable discovery for cases valued less than $50,000 (Tier 1), slightly longer …
What works with youth involved in the juvenile justice system? This is a question that has research pointing to some clear answers. Wrap-around services, a focus on youth skill development, and a well-coordinated case plan are all keys to helping youth successfully exit the justice system and become better citizens of their communities. But even …
Judges in family courts handle the complex dynamics of familial conflicts, particularly in cases involving high parental conflict. Parenting education is essential, serving as a vital tool to ensure children’s well-being during parental separations and promote smoother family transitions. “The Families in Transition (FIT) Parenting Course,” a 1.5-hour online program designed to complement existing parenting …
