Family Drug Court

A program sponsored by the Administrative Office of facilitate the overall safety and well-being of families impacted by substance abuse.

Family Drug Court (FDC) is a program affiliated with Family Court that focuses on treatment for parents struggling with substance abuse. The program serves families whose parental substance abuse is a contributing factor in children being removed from the home due to abuse or neglect. Family Drug Court promotes the safety and well-being of children by supporting the recovery of parents from alcohol and drug abuse through enhanced access to comprehensive treatment services and increased accountability to the court.

Family Drug Court combines accountability with improved access to treatment services. FDC staff work with local service providers and community resources to address substance abuse and related problems. The judge meets frequently with parents to discuss their progress in meeting stated goals and make any necessary changes to the parents’ family drug court plan. Parents  participate in the program for 12 to 18 months. Participants are held to a high standard of expectations and must meet regularly with the FDC case manager and submit to random drug testing.    
   
It is important to note that while Family Drug Court focuses on the parents, the primary purpose of the courts is to ensure the best interests of the children are being met. The program is voluntary and parents are required to participate. However, participation in and completion of the program significantly increases the chance that parents will be granted reunification with their children and it reflects positively upon protective custody casea. Although reuniting children with their parents is the ultimate goal, successful completion of the program does not guarantee reunification.

The Family Drug Court team includes the judge; the county attorney; the Drug Court program supervisor, case manager and project coordinator; representatives from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services; and local treatment providers.

• Develop an effective treatment plan to help parents with substance abuse issues attain abstinence and become better parents, employees and citizens.
• Help individuals develop the social skills that will enhance their ability to parent and be employed while reducing the likelihood of future involvement with the courts and the child welfare system.
• Provide services that will allow children to have safe visitation with their parents.
• Help parents avoid permanently losing custody of their children by providing parenting skill enhancement programs that can produce positive changes in them and their children.

Parents who are eligible to participate in the program must meet the following criteria:

• Must be 18 years of age.
• Have a child 12 years old or younger who has been removed from his or her home due to abuse or neglect.
• The Department for Community Based Services has determined that the permanency goal for their child is reunification with the parents and reunification services are in place. 
• Willingness to acknowledge that substance abuse and addiction has affected their parenting to the extent that intervention by the Department for Community Based Services is necessary.
• Willingness to commit to the Family Drug Court program and to the conditions set forth in the case plan by the both the FDC team and the Department for Community Based Services.
• Have no violent criminal convictions.

• Decrease in substance abuse and related crime
• Fewer repeat offenders charged with child neglect and abuse
• Enhanced permanency planning for children
• Fewer parents locked into the generational cycle of addiction
• Fewer babies born with addictions or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Stronger families through improved parenting skills

Patrick Yewell, General Manager
Department of Juvenile Services
Administrative Office of the Courts
800-928-2350
Contact Family Drug Court