Family Drug Courts

Family Drug Courts were created to help families with parents that have substance abuse problems. Family Drug Courts help children that are abused and neglected due to the parental substance abuse. In almost all of the cases the children were taken out of the home and placed in foster care. “ An estimated 50% to 80% of child welfare cases are related to substance abuse and parental substance abuse has been identified as a contributing factor for up to two-thirds of children in out-of-home placements”. The ultimate goal of Family Drug Court is to help parents get treatment for their drug addiction and the safety of the children. Another goal is to shorten the amount of time the children spend in foster care before they are reunited with their parents or another placement. One way to keep the participants motivated is by offering incentives and positive reinforcement to keep the participants on track. “The evidence clearly indicates that providing positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors is the most efficient way to change behavior”. Some incentives could be certificates for …show more content…
The first step is identifying the best treatment for the individual participant, motivating the participant, and monitoring how the treatment is working for the participants. The second step is helping create policies with child welfare by identifying and tracking the participants through the rehabilitation process. The third stage is finding out what triggers a relapse of the participants and helps them with strategies to cope with the relapse. Once the participants are in the program they must complete five steps. First, they must submit a drug test. Second, they must participate in substance abuse treatment program. Third, they must meet with their Recovery Management Specialist (RMS). Forth, they must attend support group meetings. Fifth, they must complete all other requirements of the