Pima County RAISE Family Treatment Court - Serving substance abusing dependency-involved parents and their affected children, the Pima County RAISE Family Treatment Court project uses a coordinated, trauma-informed, evidence-based, multi-system approach in attaining lasting permanency by ensuring child safety, providing comprehensive treatment through which improved parenting capacity, family functioning, and child well-being are achieved. FTC will enhance this proven model for additional families. There are just over 1 million total residents in Pima County (US Census, 2020), containing portions of the Pascua Yaqui and Tohono O'odham American tribal nations, and the county is also located just 30 miles north of the U.S./Mexico international border. Tucson is home to an Air Force base, VA Hospital and 36,000 veteran residents (US Census, 2020). With 50.5% female, 49.5% male, the ethnic and racial breakdown is 84.3% White, 38.5% Hispanic/Latino(a), 4.4% Black/African American, 4.5% Native American, 3.5% Asian/Native Hawaiian, and 3.3% mixed race (Id.). It is not surprising that the comparative racial/ethnic demographics between the U.S., Pima Co., and Family Treatment Court (FTC) and court data shows disparate representation of Hispanic and Native American people and Spanish-Speakers who require court interpretation services in FTC. In 2022, 62% of dependency petitions filed alleged substance abuse by at least one parent (JOLTS database, 2022). The clinical characteristics for primary drug use are reported as 45% methamphetamines, 18% heroin/opioids, 23% alcohol, 40% marijuana/hashish, and 18% crack/cocaine. (FTC RAISE database, FFY2018 2022). Intake assessments indicate 64% of FTC parents identified history specifically tied to childhood trauma, and 55% had indicators of currently occurring PTSD. (Id.), yet only 6% receive trauma focused therapy due largely to lack of access (Id.) FTC will provide recovery services to 415 unduplicated individual parents and 598 unduplicated children during the five-year project (Year 1: 75 parents, 108 children; Year 2: 79 parents, 114 children; Year 3: 83 parents, 120 children; Year 4: 87 parents, 125 children; Year 5: 91 parents, 131 children). The primary project goals are to expand the number of unduplicated parents who join the program, increase graduation and reunification rates while maintaining less than a 5% reactivation (recidivism) rate for FTC graduates. FTC will continue to adhere to the FTC Best Practice Standards. Participant expansion efforts will focus on inclusive early identification, and engagement and/or targeting of all demographic groups of the population of focus. Employing innovative approaches with a co-located unit from AZ Department of Child Safety (DCS), the case specialists are paired with Recovery Support Specialists (RSS) to provide family centered comprehensive case management. Certified RSSs also provide peer support to each parent through frequent and meaningful contact. FTC/DCS staff work with community partners to ensure that the parent, child, and family receive culturally appropriate, evidence based, and timely assessments, treatment, and services. Addressing the trauma and dysfunction involved in a substance abusing home must be undertaken by the family unit to enjoy lasting success. As such, FTC will ensure that trauma service access is expanded, life skills education is implemented, and that parents are provided with the opportunity to build recovery capital to sustain long term recovery.
