Resources on this page include State and local examples indicating the need for collaboration between substance use treatment providers, child welfare professionals, and family drug courts.
Colorado's Dependency and Neglect System Reform (DANSR)
Colorado Courts & Colorado Department of Human Services (2016)
Discusses how family drug treatment court strategies work for families involved in multiple systems.
Family Recovery Court
Maine Court Improvement Program (2020)
Describes family treatment drug courts in Maine, which seek to improve the safety and welfare of children while supporting recovery for their parents from alcohol, drug use, and co-occurring disorders. The resource reviews the goals of the court, steps required to be admitted, the types of services received, expectations for outcomes, and more.
Family Treatment Court
Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia
Details the mission of Chatham County's family treatment court, which aims to achieve safe and permanent families for children by addressing the dependency resulting from substance use of a parent or caregiver.
Family Treatment Court Best Practices: Supporting Families Through Reunification (PDF - 3,779 KB) [PowerPoint]
Children and Family Futures (2016)
Describes approaches to child well-being in family drug courts and how they have become more family centered. Using examples in Sacramento County (CA), the presentation explores new ways of serving children and addressing the needs of parents through family drug courts.
Family Treatment Court Program Performance Measures (PDF - 441 KB)
Missouri Office of State Courts Administrator (2017)
Explores family treatment courts in Missouri, which handle selected abuse, neglect, and dependency cases when parental substance use is a factor. The publication reviews program effectiveness indicators, including treatment outcomes, criminal justice outcomes, child welfare outcomes, and other measures.
Family Treatment Drug Court
Colorado Judicial Branch
Provides an overview of the history and background of the family treatment drug court in Colorado's fourth judicial district, including information on the presiding judge and the mission and goals of the court.
Giving Parents a Voice: A Case Study of a Family Treatment Drug Court Track in Lancaster County, Nebraska (PDF - 255 KB)
Heideman, Cole-Mossman, Hoetger, & Hazen (2016)
Court Review, 52
Explores the successes and struggles of the family treatment drug court in Lancaster County (NE). The article discusses court goals and examines the role of the judge in implementing therapeutic jurisprudence.
Snohomish County Family Drug Treatment Court: Process, Outcome and Cost-Benefit Evaluation Report
van Wormer, Hamilton, Hsieh, & Murphy (2014)
Washington State University
Describes how well the Snohomish County (WA State) family drug treatment court followed written program policies and procedures and nationally supported key components. The paper also examines whether participants in the court completed their assigned treatment and whether children spent less time in the child welfare system than individuals who were processed through the traditional dependency court system.
Transitioning to a Family Centered Approach: Best Practices and Lessons Learned From Three Adult Drug Courts (PDF - 979 KB)
Children and Family Futures & National Drug Court Institute (2017)
Examines three drug courts from Florida, Michigan, and Montana that are in the process of transitioning from a traditional drug court to one that has expanded services for families and children.