Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Suffolk County Family Treatment Court Enhancement Project - Suffolk County Family Treatment Court proposes to expand the FOCUS program to include the older siblings of children aged birth to six years old who are affected by parents with Substance Use Disorders. The goal is to improve child welfare, expedite permanency, and address the multifaceted needs of court-involved families affected by SUD through collaboration with Suffolk County Family Court, Child Protective Services, and Hope For Youth. Building upon the initiatives of the FOCUS program, addressing the needs of older siblings is equally important. Researchers found that older children have an increased risk for depression, anxiety, truancy, impulsivity, and substance use disorder (Lander et.al. 2013). They also influence younger siblings, highlighting their capacity as role models. The findings underscore the importance of considering all family members' contributions to children's development, not just parents (Society for Research in Child Development, 2018). By recognizing obstacles older siblings face, and implementing services to meet their specific needs, we can encompass the well-being of the family. Older siblings (7-17 years old) can shoulder significant responsibilities when their parents face substance abuse issues. In cases where children are removed from the home, older siblings face their own challenges in addition to impacting younger siblings. Of children removed from their homes in 2022, 47% were over six years old, while 52% were under the age of 6. Recognizing the profound impact of traumatic experiences on children of all ages, FOCUS aims to mitigate these effects by extending its services to include comprehensive support for older siblings, along with younger ones. FOCUS will expand substance use disorder treatment by (1) Conducting comprehensive early assessments and psychosocial evaluations for families; (2) Strengthening outreach, identification, and treatment services for court-involved parents and children of all ages and (3) Hope For Youth will utilize Child Parent Psychotherapy and the Strengthening Families program, both evidence-based interventions that support and strengthen the relationship between the child and their parent. FOCUS will provide a cross-system collaborative approach that integrates treatment for SUD with child welfare case planning by (1) convening monthly interdisciplinary team meetings (2) holding bi-monthly stakeholder meetings and (3) Offering Interdisciplinary training. By the end of the grant period, 175 total families (35 annually) will be offered services. This initiative seeks to achieve lasting permanency and improve long term life outcomes for children and families by employing a family-centered, trauma informed, cross-system collaborative approach with an enhanced focus on the multifaceted needs of family members.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).