Vancouver, Wash. ‒ The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded Clark County Superior Court’s Family Treatment Court a five-year grant totaling nearly $2 million.

The grant will support Family Treatment Court’s work, in conjunction with Clark County Community Services, to provide services to adults who have active state child dependency cases and their children. The court program helps promote parents’ abstinence from drugs and alcohol; create safe, stable homes for children; reduce the length of time children are in out-of-home placements; and increase family reunification.

The $1.98 million grant will enhance the voluntary program by adding two tailored, evidence-based programs ‒ Circle of Security and Celebrating Families ‒ that focus on families affected by substance abuse and trauma. Two other new programs will focus on recovery support services, including coaching and mentoring by people who have lived in or have other experience in the child welfare system and reunification and home safety mentoring by trained foster parents.

The grant will be effective in September.

Fifteen families are currently enrolled in Family Treatment Court, and officials expect the program to grow to 35 families by September 2018. The specialty court started in 2006; to date, 93 families have completed the program successfully.

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CONTACT
Shauna McCloskey
Therapeutic Specialty Courts coordinator
Superior Court
360.397.2304
shauna.mccloskey@clark.wa.gov