Juvenile Court PATHS Family Treatment Court

The Family Treatment Court (FTC) is a voluntary Juvenile Court session. It works with families where substance use affects parenting. This starts with early access to structured, supportive treatment and a recovery coach. There are extra court sessions to stay on track. These help a parent get stable in recovery and reunify with their children. The FTC is a team effort of the court, treatment providers, DCF, and CPCS.

We use a Recovery Capital Model in the FTC. We know that people do better when we help the whole person. We don’t just focus on substance use. We focus on four areas called domains. They are Health, Home, Parenting and Community. We start with helping people find providers for their physical and mental health. Then we make sure they have a safe and stable place to live with their children. We always look for more ways for parents to practice parenting. And we want people to stay connected in their communities for support in the future. Learning how to do this on their own helps parents take care of their children after the court case is over.

Parents are allowed to join the FTC if they are over 18. They must live in the city where the FTC is or be able to get there easily. Everyone on the care and protection case must agree to have the parent in the FTC, but not all the parents have to participate. Some parents are not allowed to join the FTC if they have open criminal charges, or a conviction for any crime involving a gun or violence. The attorneys can ask a judge if they’re not sure. This is a rule of the grant money that funds the FTC. If someone is not allowed to participate, the FTC Coordinator can still make recommendations for treatment and support. 

The FTC Operational Team works together for the Participant. They focus on what each Participant needs. The goal is stable recovery and family reunification. The Team includes people from the Court, DCF and the Recovery Community:   

The Judge is a specially trained juvenile court judge assigned to the FTC. 

The Coordinator uses the Recovery Capital framework to help the Participant figure out what they need. Then they help them get it. 

The Clinician does assessments to find out what the Participant needs. The Clinician makes recommendations about treatment.

The FTC Probation Officer helps with substance use screens. They also supervise court orders when Participants have custody of their children.

The DCF SUD Specialist helps coordinate DCF’s efforts to support the family. 

The Project North Treatment Navigator helps get access to treatment and other recovery services. 

The Treatment Provider helps the team understand how the Participant is doing. 

The Recovery Coach has experience in recovery and helps support the Participant through the FTC process.

If a parent wants to join the FTC, and their attorney is sure they’re allowed, the attorney must file paperwork in court. The first is a Motion to Enter the Family Treatment Court. This is the formal way to ask the judge to allow them into the FTC. The second is a Stipulation as to Discovery. This is an agreement by the parties that only certain information from the FTC could be used later if there is a trial on the C&P case. The third is an Agreement of the Parties. This is an agreement about how information will be used inside and outside the FTC. And the fourth thing is a release that allows information to be shared to get things started in the FTC. These can be filed any time before, at or after the temporary custody or 72-hour hearing. But they can’t be filed after the case is more than four months old.

If the judge allows the Motion to Participate, they will enter a Participation Order and an Order for Substance Use Screens. The participation order describes what a parent needs to do to get started in FTC. They need to do an intake with the FTC Coordinator. They need to do assessments with the FTC Clinician. They need to talk to probation to enroll for substance use screens. They need to come to the first FTC session. These are held every two weeks.

The FTC Coordinator does an Intake with each Participant. The Coordinator gets contact information and starts the process of working with the FTC. They ask about primary language and what kind of accommodations the Participant might need. The Coordinator asks about immediate needs like food, housing, and medical care. Then the FTC Clinician does an assessment with the Participant. This is how the FTC understands what the Participant wants and needs. The Clinician recommends what kind of treatment might be best, and how the FTC can support them in recovery and reunification.

Before each court session, the members of the Operational Team and the lawyers for each party to a case meet to talk about the progress each Participant is making. They also talk about what the Participant and the family need. The Team makes recommendations to the Judge about orders after the session.

In the Court Session or Hearing, all the Participants are in the courtroom at the same time. This might seem strange. It helps parents in recovery to find support and encouragement. Everyone there knows about parenting in recovery and working on reunification. Everyone signs a promise to keep everything they hear in the sessions confidential. The FTC Coordinator presents each Participant to the Judge and describes how they are doing. The Participant might share a reflection or talk about how they are doing in recovery and working toward reunification. The Judge issues an order after each Court Session so the Participants know what to work on next. There is an extra celebration when Participants move up to the next Phase, or Graduate from the FTC.

The FTC has five phases. Each phase is designed to give structure and support for the Participant. The phases break down the recovery and reunification process into smaller steps. Each phase includes the four Recovery Capital domains. Health, Home, Parenting and Community are worked on in each phase. There are handouts to explain more about each phase. Participants can go over these handouts with their Recovery Coach, or anyone else they want to include. 

• SJC Standards on Substance use Disorders and Mental Health Conditions
• Confidentiality Form for FTC Session Observers
• Trial Court Standing Order 1-16 re: Communication with Judges in Specialty Courts
• Project NORTH Navigators
• Juvenile Court Standing Order 2-23: Access to records and the role of the judge in Family Treatment Court