Pierce County Superior Court - expansion of its current Family Recovery Court program - The Pierce County Superior Court proposes a targeted capacity expansion of its current, Family Recovery Court program to address a significant service gap in its capacity to deal with dual epidemics of methamphetamine and opioid use disorder, exacerbated by the advent of a burgeoning fentanyl crisis in Pierce County, Washington. The target population consists of parents whose custodial rights are pending a family court decision due to their substance use disorder.
The proposed program will add staff and resources necessary to provide assessment and behavioral health treatment services that incorporates medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as well as concurrent mental health therapy for those with co-occurring disorders.
The program takes a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach to a treatment regimen and incorporates a number of evidence-based practices, to dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), moral recognation therapy (MRT) and trauma-informed care. It also incorporates several evidence-based practices that support family reunification.
The primary project goal is to reunify children with their parents by achieving SUD recovery on the part of the parent(s) and re-establishing a child-parent bonding that supports a healthy environment for the child. Lacking actual reunification, the program will seek positive permanent placement for the child(ren). To that end, the project seeks to achieve the measurable objectives, cited below.
Objectives:
• Serve at least 175 families with SUD, mental health, and family reunification services within the 5-year grant period.
• Attain a 50% rate of successful program graduation by parents as evidenced by 180 days of abstinence from drug or alcohol use, compliance with program requirements, and the reunification of the child(ren) with the biological parent(s).
