Jackson County Family Drug Court proposes to increase participation by more than 30% under a SAMHSA grant project. The goal of Jackson County Family Drug Court is to provide a mechanism to help primary custodians live a drug-free life and assume the full responsibilities of parenthood. This program provides early intervention and immediate and concerted treatment to the parent(s) who abuse(s) substances and willingly commit(s) to fully cooperate with the program. The heightened supervision of the Court and therapeutic intervention by the Family Drug Court Coordinator and DHR Social Worker, coupled with the cooperation of treatment service providers and peer support systems provides an increased amount of support and accountability. If parents choose to participate in the Family Drug Court program and take full advantage of the additional assistance, their experiences can act as a springboard to permanent life changes, especially where recovery from alcohol and drug usage are concerned.
The population of focus for the Jackson County Family Drug Court’s proposed project is adults aged 18 years or older, who are a legal and primary caretaker of a child or children 18 years or younger who have been placed in or are at risk of being placed in the Department of Human Resources’ care outside of the parental home. Having a serious substance abuse disorder is a requirement of the Family Drug Court Program. Parents may suffer from other mental health or co-occurring disorders, and the program also accepts pregnant women.
Under the SAMHSA project to expand Family Treatment Drug Court Programs, Jackson County Drug Court will serve a minimum of 35 parents per year. Participation will increase throughout the proposed project. At the end of the five-year project, Jackson County Family Drug Court will have served 196 parents and their families. Parents will receive substance use disorder and/or co-occurring disorder screenings, inpatient and/or outpatient substance abuse treatment, individual counseling for both parents and children, drug screens, case management services, peer support, and mental health treatment if needed. Additional recovery support and family recovery support services implemented under this project are transportation services, family counseling, childcare, and skills training. Under this project, Jackson County Family Drug Court will implement the evidence-based practices Celebrating Families! And Strengthening Families. Celebrating Families! was designed specifically for families that have at least one parent who suffers from a serious substance abuse disorder. The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a nationally and internationallyrecognized parenting and family strengthening program for high-risk families. By the end of the first project year, 60% of all participants will have completed a minimum of one evidence-based practice. By the end of the second project year and each project year after, 75% of participants will complete a minimum of one evidence-based practice. Jackson County Family Drug Court’s ongoing, five-year goals are to reduce substance use relapse and reduce the number of days children spend in out-of-home care in Jackson County, Alabama.